Total Drama Ocean Cruise
by The Firebending Frog
Summary: Forty Teens compete for a million dollars on a cruise ship. Chapter 21: The Chocolate Factory: Yvonne, Trevor, and Wilma sneak away from a tour group and find themselves surrounded by horrors they couldn't have ever imagined and factory workers who aren't too keen on sharing their company secrets.
1. Chapter 1

**Total Drama Ocean Cruise**

 **Chapter I: Four Teams and a Cruise Ship**

 **Written by The Firebending Frog**

The Bus rumbled quickly along the coastline as a loud silence consumed the vehicle. Teenagers of every size, attitude, and appearance sat in rows of two trying to ignore the people they'd been awkwardly shoved next to. A Girl with Red hair sat in the front staring out the window. Her eyes reflected the passing vehicles and scenery with an almost photographic sense. Her name was Kiara and she'd stopped taking photos when the guy next to her had been startled by the flash. Beyond a quick apology they hadn't spoken once, and had there not been music playing Warren probably would have started whistling.

Behind them sat another Redhead with much shorter hair scribbling in a sketchbook. Every so often she would make a face and reveal braces wired to her teeth that would catch the light. Her habit of sticking the eraser end of her pencil into her mouth didn't help with this. She hadn't talked at all save for introducing herself as Renee to her seatmate Josh. He was too big for the seat and kept shifting around uncomfortably and sighing. His hand would course through his brown hair every so often lifting his cap as he did so. He was wishing he had been seated somewhere else, particularly after seeing Kiara enter the bus, she seemed like someone he could start a conversation with.

In the next row were two girls of very different appearances. One was blonde and muscular while the other had dark skin and black hair pulled back into a messy tail. The blonde, named Phoebe, was staring out the window eying the seashore and wind sails in the sky wishing she was out there feeling the wind in her hair and the rush of adrenaline course through her veins. The other girl, named Roxie, was shifting in her seat uncomfortably and eying the gum stuck to the chair in front of her like it might leap forward and attack. She was seated in a way that made contact between her body and the torn cushion minimal. The last thing she wanted to do was touch the filthy seating more than she had to, and as bad as hers was some of the ones across the aisle were worse.

In the seat behind them a large framed boy named Erin was squished up against the window while his seatmate sat cross-legged with her lifted foot swinging into his space. Her brown hair fell around her shoulders in a way that must have taken hours to perfect and she seemed to think she had all the space in the world. Bubblegum blew from her mouth and every so often she'd pop it with a quick bite. The bag sitting in the rack above her marked her name as Natalie and it looked stuffed to the seams.

Another duo of girls sat behind them, a large girl looming well above the rest slept against the window with some drool rolling from her mouth. She'd introduced herself as Olga to everyone when she had boarded. Her seatmate didn't know this though, as she'd boarded after the giant. Elsa's eye twitched every time a snore escaped Olga's mouth and she was already planning on casting a vote for the girl simply because she had kept her from reading the entire bus ride. Didn't people understand this was a public space and not a bedroom?!

The next row contained two guys. Jason, a black haired man with skin the colour of chocolate chattered nonstop into his seatmate's ear. Frank kept rolling his eyes and trying to shove his face deeper into the magazine he was reading but Jason was relentless in his bragging about how prepared he was for the game. He talked so much that it actually convinced Frank of the contrary.

The bus hit a bump and Bebe immediately hit her head on the window and groaned in response. She was trying to keep her pink haired head out of the space taken up by the man next to her. Halfway through the bus ride her hair had smacked into his face and he had grabbed it and yanked it as hard as possible. She hadn't even looked over at him since that, which was hard considering Jules was watching some brightly coloured anime on his phone that had distracting explosions of colour so often it was unreasonable.

The next row only had one occupant thanks to Brad entering the restroom at the back of the bus. The guy had entered it six times now and failed to wash his hands every single time. At the very least he wasn't seated next to Roxie, she might have attacked him with disinfectant if that were the case. Instead his seatmate was Nia, a girl with an expressionless face that was reading a book about how attempts to improve the human condition had failed. It went into extreme detail about farming regulations, the intricate details of soviet farmers, and had put her own father, a university professor, to sleep.

Anne in the next row had started the journey at the window but when a fly had buzzed near it she had taken the liberty to let it out and been immediately swapped with Liam who leaned on the windowsill twirling a lighter in his fingers and looking across the aisle at a cute blonde that Anne kept getting her mahogany locks in the way of. A quick growl had made her press her back against the seat and tap her feet in silence. Ogling had resumed the second that had happened, though Anne doubted the blonde would be enthusiastic about the flame Liam kept lighting with every other twirl.

At the very back, right next to the restroom, were two more girls. Lara kept calling her workplace just to make absolutely certain she didn't have shifts scheduled and Wilma tried her best not to gag at the smell wafting from the room as Brad exited it. She quickly got up and flushed the toilet for him. She sat down and crossed her muscular legs and arms trying her best not to let the cold air conditioning from across the aisle bother her barren shoulders.

That was courtesy of Stewart who was wearing a massive black hoodie pulled over his head while ear covering headphones blared sad music into his ears. Black hair fell over his face and he seemed to be permanently scowling. This kind of freaked his seatmate Stephen out. Stephen was absolutely built and even he had pressed himself against the window thinking the guy next to him might pull a switchblade or something out of his pocket.

Ahead of them was Lucile, the girl Liam was gazing at. She had her blonde hair done up in twin braided tails and had a bunch of freckles lining her cheeks. Her eyes were trained on a novel in her hands, something her seatmate Sophie could relate to. She was also pressed into a book. Her hoodie had been pulled up when Stewart had started blasting cold air everywhere and her glasses reflected the sunlight outside. She had opened the novel on the bus and was just about done it. Impressive by even her own standards. She hoped the ride would last long enough to let her stare out the window at the passing countryside and daydream a little.

Nadie had also cracked open a novel but found herself drawn out of it every time the guy next to her screamed out profanities and hammered his fist onto the armrest between them. His game system was silent but he was the opposite. How could Ryan stay quiet though? He was that close to beating Lord Tenga in Drastacoid V. He had won that fight. The villain had just used a cheap cheating tactic to win. The next round would definitely be his.

Deek was also bothered by Ryan. He had been trying to let his mind connect with the open road, the wildlife in the ditches, and the sun radiating above him. The bus was quiet enough for some yogic meditation. Enhancing his inner peace and connection to his aura. He hadn't gotten far, only discovering that the girl next to him was in love with wild animals, it had nothing to do with the fact Zilka gasped every time she saw a fox, rabbit, or moose out the window. It was all his connection to her aura, he knew it had to be.

The girl in front of him was absolutely annoyed with the scent of body odour wafting from him. It was clear to Raina that the rat stashed freak behind her hadn't bathed in over a week and she had developed a scowl and foot shake in response to this, trying to let her music relax her. The guy named Gabriel next to her wasn't helping. He would complain that he was hungry, tired, stiff, and cranky every few seconds. She wanted to strangle him but knew that would just paint her in the wrong light. First impressions were everything and she was going to make a good one.

Trevor was in front of the two glaring at every vehicle that passed them. They were going just under the speed limit and the guy in the red truck had been going at least twenty over that. He already had a notepad full of licence plates to report later, and the red truck was just added to that. Diane found this kind of unnerving. She wasn't sure why Trevor was writing down licence plate numbers but she didn't like it. She simply stared out the window past the guy like normal. She did it all the time back home anyway, her older sister got one window seat and her younger one got the other after all.

The last two girls, Yvonne and Nancy, sat before them and they were practically the only ones talking. They chattered about tv show drama and every so often Yvonne would break into a soliloquy about her time on set for numerous television productions. Nancy ate it all up before asking what that production was and earning a facepalm from Yvonne.

Bubba sat in front of them staring at the ocean past the people across from him. Tasty waves rocked the sandy shore and he couldn't wait to be on them. Sandy shores were amazing and he wanted to feel the cold water wash up against his feet. Lloyd next to him was not happy to leave the woods behind. He couldn't point his fingers at all the animals that rolled past and pretend to land kill shots. All that remained was boring concrete jungle and homeless people milling around that probably didn't even know how to hunt.

The seat next to them was filled to the brim with an eye twitching prime rib of a man named Bryce. His eye was twitching because the vaguely European accented boy next to him was asking what everything was and entering into incomprehensible nonsense about his home country. He was also touchy feely and grabbing his hand and crushing it only made the guy talk more and grab him again. Helden couldn't control himself. He hadn't seen a boat as big as the cruise ship in the distance before.

Finally the final front row was filled with two guys. One was Louise, who had enjoyed a rather peaceful ride reading his French novel until the final passenger had arrived. Bree had done nothing but complain and every second that passed made Louise want to strangle him more. The seats weren't that uncomfortable and they were almost there.

No one knew each other. Heck some of them would glance over every few seconds and notice someone new. Some were retained well and others would probably become known in the future. Regardless that was the forty contestants and as Chef drove their bus through the winding streets his grin spread knowing precisely what was about to occur. He really loved this show. Weird kids on their phones, game systems, and whatnot. They were all about to lose functionality and he couldn't wait. He pulled forward into the lot right near the foot of the cruise ship labelled _S.S McLean_ and stopped the bus. He slid the vehicle into neutral and stood up.

"Alright Maggots, I'll be right back," Chef growled before grinning broadly and letting loose a small snicker. Some showed concern, others simply didn't acknowledge him. The whiny kid in front even began complaining but Chef ignored him and stepped off the bus walking right over to Chris McLean. The host was in the midst of sipping on a coffee while interns loaded supplies into the big cruise ship behind him with forklifts.

"Ten bucks says one will sue," Chris smirked.

"Twenty says at least five will," Chef replies before the bus began to roll. A few people looked up inside. Notably Phoebe who narrowed her eyes and looked ahead.

"Are we moving?" She asked and a few people murmured responses. Lucile stood up and realized they were in fact moving. Her eyes were drawn forward and widened.

"WATER!" She exclaimed and multiple people stood up. The bus picked up speed and rolled right to the edge of the dock. The entire cast scrambled to their feet and the bus rolled right off the edge of the dock with people screaming their lungs off. They smashed into the water but remained afloat while water began to seep in causing it to begin sinking. Bree burst into absolute panic while Yvonne shoved Jason aside and grabbed her bag.

"There!" Liam exclaimed while shoving Anne onto the floor. He scrambled to the emergency exit hatch and pulled it down. Renee put her sketchbook under her arm and lifted herself onto the roof. It was grimy, gross, and hadn't been washed in years, but the redhead ignored that and made a dash across the bus top. When she hit the edge she leapt through the air and landed on solid ground stumbling from an overshoot. Liam quickly followed her to the roof and grabbed Phoebe's arm when he made it topside. He hauled her up before reaching down and taking Roxie's arm. She gagged upon touching the roof and began to breathe heavily. Regardless of feelings on the roof, her fear of seawater won out over her fear of grime, so she too made a break for the edge of the bus. Olga hauled herself up without assistance and dashed across the bus roof reaching the shore where Renee landed. Raina, Warren, and Trevor followed her, each one being helped up by Liam. Warren missed the dock and landed in the water but Phoebe and Olga helped him out before Lloyd landed and tumbled after them, Helden landed perfectly like a trapeze artist, and Bryce swam to shore ignoring help from the girls as he went.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I don't need help from some girl," Bryce laughs while patting his muscular arm, "trust me they'll be the ones asking me for help before this day is over."

* * *

"Leave your bags morons! I'm not staying up here forever!" Liam shouted as Lara landed bottom first in the water with her bag clutched in her hands.

"I ain't leaving anything behind, haircut!" Lara shouted while pointing at Liam.

"Fine!" Liam shouted back with rage filling his eyes, "Enjoy swimming!"

His hand then shot down snatching Kiara's. She yelped as she was hauled upwards and put onto the roof of the sinking bus. She scurried to the edge of it and jumped in the water. She paddled to shore where Olga grabbed her arm and hauled her up the mossy dock wall.

"You can thank me later beautiful," Liam told Lucile as he lifted her out. The blonde blushed a little and quickly followed Kiara to shore. He hauled Nadie out while Josh reached into his bag and pulled out a camera case. He pulled himself up right after Nadie and hurried to the edge of the bus while the native girl leapt into the water.

"OY! SKETCHBOOK! CATCH!" He shouted. Renee looked up as the hat capped boy tossed his camera. She leapt into the air and fumbled it only for Lloyd to catch it. Josh sighed in relief before Frank shoved him into the water and jumped after him. Jules dragged himself up out of the bus with a full backpack and leapt into the water with it on. He was followed by Stewart and Bubba while Liam lugged Louise out. Just as that happened Natalie opened the back of the bus and Liam stood up and made a break for it. He leapt into the air and crashed into the water with a splash before paddling past Louise and getting assisted by Olga who ignored Bubba in his favor.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Whatever happened to first come first serve?" Bubba demands while placing his hands on his pants, "Hero boy's actions are going to win him everyone's favour and that makes him dangerous…"

* * *

"This bus is sinking faster moron!" Yvonne screamed as Natalie glanced at her and shrugged, diving into the water and swimming to shore.

"Ah whatever!" Elsa growled while tossing her bag aside and leaping from the bus. Wilma and Erin glanced at each other before following suit. Jason waded out with a full bag and Deek simply ignored his and swam out after him. Stephen, Ryan, and Gabriel managed to get out before the entire bus tilted and the remaining ten were left swimming upwards. The bus surged full of water and after a few seconds Nia surfaced alongside Anne, their bags discarded. Bebe floated upwards right after them and bashed her head against a suitcase. Lara floundered next to her yelping about schedules while Sophie groaned and lifted her drenched novel from the water. Zilka popped her head out with a frown while Diane, Yvonne, and Nancy coughed. Finally Bree surfaced and hacked out water before wailing in an ear piercing tone that made everyone in the vicinity cover their ears and grit their teeth. When it ended laugher filled the air and everyone groaned, realizing who it belonged to.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Not cool Chris," Raina growls while crossing her arms.

"We could have died!" Bebe shudders while grabbing her shoulders.

"I better get a replacement scarf Chris, or I'll sue!" Frank exclaims while directing a finger right at the camera.

* * *

"Welcome to Total Drama Ocean Cruise," Chris announced while Chef handed him a ten dollar bill and the mostly sopping wet batch of teenagers stared at him with a mixture of glares and smiles, "And congratulations on finishing your first challenge."

"First challenge?!" Bree demanded while glaring at the host while wringing his shirt out, "We nearly drowned."

"That's the wrong attitude for this game. You'll be divided into teams based on the order you arrived in," Chris explained with a smirk. He turned to the mostly dry contestants with a smile and gazed across them, "Renee, Phoebe, Roxie, Olga, Raina, Warren, Trevor, Lloyd, Helden, and Bryce. I dub thee the Sinister Sharks. Hopefully your speedy decision making helps you as a team."

Chris then directed his attention to the second batch of contestants. They were all wet but had made it to shore before their opposition. Their eyes flittered from one to the other sizing up their future teammates and trying to remember the names of who they'd be competing with.

"Kiara, Lucile, Nadie, Josh, Frank, Jules, Stewart, Liam, Bubba, and Louise, you shall henceforth be known as the Creepy Calamari. Hope that teamwork sticks around," Chris grinned while Liam returned the favour with an equally bright smile. The host then turned to the third group of contestants with a smirk, "You ten bailed before things got bad, you weren't exactly quick though. Natalie, Elsa, Wilma, Erin, Jason, Brad, Deek, Stephen, Ryan, and Gabriel, you are now the Whimsical Whales."

"Whales?! Seriously?!" Elsa demanded while motioning to her thin frame. A few members of the Calamari started snickering but were quickly cut off by Chris who pointed at the half drowned batch of contestants who had made it to shore last.

"No excuses. You guys sucked, so I will dub thee at the bottom of the food chain. Bebe, Nia, Anne, Lara, Sophie, Zilka, Diane, Yvonne, Nancy, and Bree, you guys are now the Putrid Plankton. Better pick up your game or I'll see you at elimination," Chris concluded before turning to his contestants with an evil grin plastered on his face, "Now to business, your first real challenge starts now!"

A gasp spread through every contestant and they looked around while murmuring. Chef wheeled a cart past the entire cast handing out coloured uniforms as he went. Blue for the Sharks, Yellow for the Calamari, Red for the Whales, and Green for the Plankton. Raina took her uniform and glanced at the cruise ship, putting two and two together and growing a vile glare on her face that was directed right at Chris.

"These are your uniforms, you will be staffing this cruise ship, and today's challenge involves you letting our delightful guests in. Whichever team gets the highest total number on their staff evaluation forms will win the challenge and get to spend the trip to our next destination as passengers while the rest of you work as employees," Chris explained while the eyes of several contestants lit up, "Whomever gets the lowest score will see me at elimination tonight where they will send a player adrift. Each team will take passengers of their colour, show them their rooms, and deliver their luggage. Only when every passenger is moved in will I tally up the points. We start right away, so get changed!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"No way we can lose. We need a strong opening," Raina states while hammering her fist into her hand, "I need to take charge, first impressions are everything!"

"Second team?!" Liam asks while raising his eyebrows and taking on a confused look, "I would be mad after what I did, but hey, I'm on a team with a cutie!"

"I'm going to get Chris for dubbing me a whale," Elsa growls while rubbing her stomach, "I worked hard for this waist!"

Bree crosses his arms and glares away from the camera while his lip curls upwards. "He didn't have to insult us! God!"

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

"Okay team, we need a plan," Raina exclaimed while crossing her arms. "These people are fresh out of work environments and probably want to get to their cabins immediately so we need to be efficient and fast."

"We could just let them stew in their own rich juices," Lloyd replied while crossing his arms and scowling at the growing crowd of people below.

Every team had changed rather quickly. The Sharks had taken refuge near the entrance and could see the vacation goers, their one way ticket to victory. Each cabin was worth up to ten points, with forty cabins to fill they had their work cut out for them. Old folks would complain if they had to stand too long, children would get antsy, and people would hate the sunlight. Raina narrowed her eyes at the people ahead of them and pursed her lips tightly.

"We need to get the people that'll take the most time in first," Raina explained while turning to her team. "I'll go down there and announce we're doing priority boarding. Then we'll get them into their cabins, and finish with luggage delivery."

"Sounds good to me," Lloyd replied while crossing his arms. "My Pappy always says people are happier when you're honest to them sooner rather than later."

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"And if they hate us Raina goes home," Lloyd Snickers while leaning against the confessional wall, "Pappy always said, make sure you have a fall guy… Or in this case… A fall gal…"

* * *

 **Creepy Calamari**

* * *

"And how are you today?" The portly man asked while leaning on the counter and raising his eyebrows at Kiara.

"Um… Good," Kiara replied awkwardly while taking the man's boarding passes. She quickly scanned them and handed them back while a paper printed. She tore it off and handed it to Jules. His arms didn't extend to take it and Kiara had to clear her throat.

"Why me?" He asked in complete deadpan.

"Come on Jules, do it for the team," Kiara replied with a keen smile growing on her face.

"Chris ruined my anime, I'm not giving his passangers good service," Jules explained before narrowing his eyes at the portly man who looked at Kiara in a worrying way.

"Of for crying out loud," Nadie hissed while snatching the paper from Kiara and motioning to the portly man and his wife down the hallway. Kiara turned back towards the next man and found herself face to face with an absolute giant. He was at least three heads taller than her and four times as broad with a large gut barely contained in his Hawaiian shirt.

"Good Afternoon," He smiled while Kiara took his boarding pass and scanned it. The room number printed and she tore it handing it to Jules only to find his hands still pocketed and a deadpan look on his face.

"Okay, really?" Kiara asked while lowering her arms.

Liam didn't even wait for a response. He just snatched the paper from Kiara and walked past Jules without breaking a glare on him. The portly man followed him down the hall while Kiara turned back to the counter.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Well at least I know who I'm voting for if we lose," Liam states in annoyance while looking right at the camera.

* * *

"Ma'am! We want to board now!" An angry looking woman exclaimed from behind the elderly couple in front of Kiara.

"Um, wait your turn please," Kiara requested rather meekly. The woman flared her nostrils in response and her lips tightened to an absolutely thin line. Two boys watched their mother glare at Kiara and Kiara felt a meekness overcome her as she shrunk back. Thankfully attention was taken off her when Frank stepped forward like he was the manager or something.

"Sorry lady but you're going to have to wait your turn," Frank stated while adjusting his glasses and stepping forward.

"Oh so just because we have yellow passes means we can't board early?" The woman demanded while placing her hands on her hips.

"No one said you would get to board early," Frank replied while placing his hands on his hips in an equally stubborn manner.

"Well they're doing it right there!" The woman exclaimed while pointing at the line next to theirs filled with families and old people.

"What the?!" Frank demanded while marching past the crowd to the entrance to the ship. Below Raina stood in her fresh blue uniform directing old couples, people with young children, and a man in a wheelchair to the front. No angry shouting filled the air, just confident directing, the regular blue passengers didn't even seem upset, a complete contrast to Frank's own passangers.

"Hey can we get this line moving?!" Someone shouted from the back of the Calamari line before an uproar of angry shouting filled the air. Frank was pushed back against the counter while yellow pass holders yelled at him with their passes waving in the air flashing yellow everywhere.

"Let's just let her pass," Kiara suggested while hiding behind the computer

"HEY! I WAS HERE FIRST!" An angry looking man with his wife slung on his arm like an ornament shouted. He was sandwiched between an elderly couple and the mother and didn't look like he wanted to give up his spot anytime soon. Other regular passengers held the same expressions and arguing began to erupt between elderly couples and young ones.

"I want a blue pass! Give me a blue pass!" The mother shouted before an uproar of people started shouting about the blue passes. Kiara and Frank exchanged a look before glancing at the smooth ticket booth next to them where Renee handed a ticket to Roxie with a smirk on her face. Kiara and Frank's eyes drifted back together with pursed lips while their crowd continued to shout.

* * *

 **Whimsical Whales**

* * *

"Are you sure this is right?" The nerdy looking man asked while gazing across the room. His hands were planted firmly on his hips while he scanned over the small cabin

"Yes, Floor three, room six," Elsa replied while motioning at the room number nailed to the door. Not that the man was looking at her anyway.

"I don't think this is right," He replied while turning to Elsa with a look of genuine concern overcoming his face, "The pamphlet said spacious suite."

"I'm sorry sir, but I didn't write the pamphlet, I just work here," Elsa replied without changing her voice from deadpan.

The man's wife approached him and whispered something into his ear. Elsa felt her eyes drop to half and she watched the two mutter things back and forth while a scowl crossed her face. She knew what was coming. They were going to ask to speak with a manager and that one setback would put her team behind. She bit her lip wishing they would just hurry up and tell her already.

"Can you check the computer?" The man's wife asked while Elsa just sighed in response.

* * *

 **Putrid Plankton**

* * *

"Okay, floor four, rooms five, seven, twenty three, and thirty have been moved in," Lara announced while Bree and Bebe carried the luggage onto the luggage rack, "Take this to the rooms and make sure you have the right room numbers!"

"Five, seven, twenty three, and thirty, got it," Bree announced while Bebe tripped and landed a suitcase on the ground. Immediately it opened and flung bras and shirts everywhere. Bree slapped his forehead as Lara bent down to help Bebe clean up the clothing. They folded it neatly while Bree grumbled behind them.

As soon as the trolley was loaded again Bree pulled the door open and the two of them rolled the luggage cart down the hall. It squeaked and Bebe tripped over her own feet a few times stumbling and knocking suitcases off. Bree sighed every time she did this until they reached the elevator. Bree jabbed the call button six times before it arrived with a ding. They got in and Bree pressed the close button. Silence engulfed the small chamber as Bree tapped his foot and Bebe popped her lip trying to make some kind of noise.

"Smooth elevator," Bree commented.

"Yeah, must be a fancy one," Bebe replied before silence engulfed them again. Bree's face dropped and he glanced at the control panel. He jabbed his finger into the open button and the elevator dinged and opened up into a hallway identical to the one below, Blue carpeting and all.

"Guess we were wrong," Bree replied while bashing his fist against the door, "Dumb doors didn't open!"

Silence overtook the two again when they entered the hall. They wheeled their way down it until they reached door number five. Bree knocked while Bebe picked up two suitcases. It was swung open and two men stood there blinking at them.

"Luggage," Bree announced.

"Oh thank goodness," One of the men grinned, "This heat made me sweat through my shirt."

"Well we're here to… change that!" Bree grinned and the man in the doorway laughed before closing the door, suitcases in hand. He turned to Bebe with a grin that she returned with enthusiasm.

"If everything goes that smoothly-" Bebe started.

"We'll be sipping smoothies in lawn chairs," Bree concluded with a laugh before grabbing the cart and pulling it. Bebe stumbled but managed to keep up. The room number reflected behind them and they approached their next target knowing last place was as far away as possible.

* * *

 **Sinister Sharks**

* * *

"Sorry for the wait Mrs. Frank, the last group was pretty fascinated with the indoor aquarium," Phoebe explained as they passed a large glass fish tank that wasn't all that impressive, she could immediately feel Mrs. Frank's mood skyrocket.

"Oh, haha, people from inland can be so distractible, sorry for coming across as annoyed," The woman chuckled while pulling her daughter closer.

"Oh never mind that Mrs. Frank, we should be the ones apologizing, you paid for a vacation, not a lineup," Phoebe replied with a wave of her hand. The woman gave another chortle as they passed Warren on his way back from the last group. Judging by the sweat he had just run back from the rear of the ship, probably after convincing a couple that their room had a good view of the ocean.

"Phoebe, oooh," Warren groaned out while giving a quick salute.

"Seasickness, go easy on him," Phoebe lied and Mrs. Frank burst into hysterics as they passed Warren and continued down the blue carpeted hallway to room six. Phoebe slipped the key card into the door and gave a quick explanation as to how it worked. She shut the door again and handed the card to Mrs. Frank. The woman unlocked the door and it swung open revealing the nice cabin.

"Isn't this a little small?" Mrs. Frank asked while glancing at Phoebe.

"We are on a boat Mrs. Frank, also how much time are you really going to spend in here?" Phoebe asked while pointing at the patron, "Unless I completely misread you and you're a couch potato."

"Oh you!" Mrs. Frank laughed while placing a hand on the bed with a smile on her face.

"Do you need demonstrations for the shower or anything else in the room?" Phoebe asked.

"Oh no, I see why it took so long though, must have had some real ignorant folks before us," Mrs. Frank chuckled.

"Oh you wouldn't believe what we put up with from some people, always nice to meet a good passenger," Phoebe laughed before clearing her throat, "Luggage will be up shortly. Don't you go anywhere."

Mrs. Frank began to laugh as Phoebe closed the door and pumped her arm with a grin. She immediately darted back through the ship, past the aquarium, two Plankton members lugging a luggage cart down the hall, and up the stairs, right up to Renee.

"I am really sorry for the noise," Renee apologized to the elderly couple standing there. They had their eyes pinned on the train wreck that was the Calamari booth. Angry shouting filled the hall and one woman was trying to choke Frank. Jeers from the crowd had transformed into insults and anger directed at the staff. The Calamari members were simply hiding behind the desk now while their patrons escalated into full on riot behaviour.

"I'm sorry sir, you need to get into the yellow line," One of the Whale members stated to a patron clearly in the wrong line.

"You expect me to wait in that?!" The man demanded while motioning to the crowd.

"This is bad," Kiara muttered while a water bottle was flung over the desk.

"HELLO?!" A Cranky elderly voice called causing Kiara to lock eyes with Frank before they both stood up to face their customers

"This is the worst cruise I have ever been on and we haven't even left the harbour," The elderly lady right at the front commented. She picked up a review card and dropped it on their desk. A perfect zero sat in place while the girls exchanged looks.

"We're sorry, we'll get you to your room," Frank apologized as room ticket printed. He handed it off to Jules but it fluttered to the ground at his feet.

His eyes flittered up to Kiara and Frank with his lips pursed and his eyes narrowed, "What's the point? We already have a zero."

"Well then, better get your butt in gear or you'll be the first one off," Kiara replied with venom lacing her voice. Jules scowled in reply and bent down picking up the ticket and storming away with the elderly couple complaining behind him.

"We can still salvage this," Frank announced as a water bottle splashed water all over him, Kiara, and their computer. "At least I hope we can."

* * *

 **Whimsical Whales**

* * *

"Are you sure this is right?" The heavily accented woman asked while turning in tandem with the man she was with, it was almost like they were attached or something.

"Yes, floor three, room thirteen," Elsa replies in deadpan.

"But it's far too small, you can't expect us to room in here," The woman replied with a chortle almost like this was some kind of joke.

"I regret to inform you ma'am, but this is your cabin," Elsa replied.

"Are there bigger cabins?" The woman demanded.

"Yes," Elsa replied with an eye twitch.

"Then give us one of those," The woman replied.

"They're already booked," Elsa replied through a grit tooth smile.

"Well I want to speak to a manager," The woman concluded in a manner of fact way.

Elsa stared at them for a few seconds before letting out a defeated sigh and turning around with the couple following her.

* * *

 **Putrid Plankton**

* * *

"Twenty Four!"

Two black suitcases.

"Thirty three!"

Two leopard spotted ones.

"Two!"

Six duffel bags with different sport team logos on them

"Twelve!"

A single massive camouflaged backpack.

The door shut and Bree and Bebe exchanged a high five. They rolled back to the elevator and got right in. Bree with the controls and Bebe with the cart. They stood there waiting for the silent elevator to arrive at its floor. Except this time it opened on its own revealing Josh and Louise from the Creepy Calamari on the other side.

"Pardon the winners!" Bree announced while Bebe followed him snorting with laughter. They rolled down the hall but as they did Bebe paused and looked back. A loud noise erupted from the elevator that made her frown. She didn't loiter on it for long and instead followed her teammate into the luggage room where Lara loaded them up with their next batch of luggage. Large duffel bags, multicolored suitcases, and one with variously sized stains. Lara smirked at them as they left, clearly happy with their progress, and they zipped out stopping in front of the elevator. Trevor and Helden from the Sharks followed them and rolled to door number five. Bree tapped his foot and pressed the elevator call button repeatedly while Bebe's eyes drifted off him and to her opponents who stopped at door number five. They knocked and out of it stepped a man with glasses and a small shirt on. Bebe felt her jaw drop and she quickly grabbed Bree and slammed him up against the wall.

"Did you press the fourth floor button?!" Bebe demanded.

"There's a button?" Bree asked with a blink. Bebe gripped his shirt tightly and dragged him to the side of the cart where they had a full view of Trevor and Helden.

"No wonder this didn't fit," The man they had dropped their first piece of luggage off to laughed before dropping the shirt outside the room. The pieces of luggage they had delivered to him earlier were dropped behind it and Bebe and Bree exchanged a look as the customers were handed different suitcases very similar to the ones they had been holding.

"This is bad," Bebe commented.

"PSSH! Not my fault the elevator doesn't work," Bree ranted while kicking it. Bebe stared at him and walked over to the discarded suitcases while Bree watched. She returned and grabbed the cart beginning to pull it down the hall. Bree's ranting and whining continued down the hall as Bebe picked up all the discarded luggage outside the shark's rooms. It continued up the elevator shaft, to their green carpeted fourth floor, and through hysterical people who realized their clothing had been touched by strangers. Underwear, shirts, and even valuables were out of place. People were missing clothing, toiletries, and knick knacks. Bebe had to take it all just because Bree was too busy ranting about the elevator and blaming it for things to care. She was handed review cards with solid zeroes on them and stood stunned in the doorways as people slammed them in her face. After dropping all the luggage off to the right rooms they walked back to Lara, Bebe felt her eye twitch and a frown form on her face as her partner ranted behind her.

* * *

"NO! NO! NO!" Kiara screamed as she pressed the button on the frozen computer. Water had splashed it and now it wasn't working. People only got angrier in line demanding their rooms immediately. Frank was calling for order but people had started throwing things at him every time he peered over the desk. Kiara batted the side of the computer several times before the entire screen went black and her eyes went wide. She turned her head just in time to see Renee check in the last of the blue lineup. Her crowd watched this and began to shout in even angrier tones.

As if one cue to the PA system came to life and Chris' voice echoed from it.

"It seems the yellow team has had some technical difficulties. Anyone with a yellow passport will have to move to another lineup. Just make sure to make your evaluation forms out to your new teams!" The PA system exclaimed with a concluding laugh. Kiara gripped her hair as she watched the crowd hurry over to the blue lineup where Raina began giving orders for how to order themselves. Kiara slunk down below the desk with a defeated sigh. She put her head in her hands while angry shouting filled the air and an old couple emerged with Elsa close behind them.

"I want a manager, this witch screamed at us when we told her she took us to the wrong room!" the old woman shouted at Jason.

"Whoa-" Jason started from his position at the computer.

"THAT WAS YOUR ROOM! YOU ALL GET TINY LITTLE RINKIDINK CABINS! WHY IS THAT SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND?!" Elsa screamed at the couple before a loud grumbling filled the line and the red passport holders began to march over to the expansive lineup at the Shark station. Laughter filled the intercom heard all over the ship, even the luggage room.

"You two are morons!" Lara shouted while throwing luggage at the trolley Bebe and Bree were hiding behind. The two exchanged looks of terror as Chris' laughter buzzed over the ship and the thump of heavy suitcases hit the wood behind them.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"At least I know I won't be going home tonight," Lara growls at the camera through her teeth.

* * *

"Forty rooms each, a total of four hundred points on the table, and the Sharks rack in seven hundred and eight," Chris laughed while the blue team broke into cheers, "I'm just going to say it now, the Sharks win first class passage to our next destination!"

"First class?" Raina asked in sheer excitement.

"AKA, the presidential suite," Chris replied with a cheeky grin and a finger gun. Everyone on the blue team burst into even louder cheering at that revelation while Chris continued, "You'll enjoy fine dining, private rooms, and your uniforms will be cleaned for the next time you lose."

More cheering erupted only matched by the disappointing groans from the other three teams. Chris grinned at them and his gaze swept across them.

"Calamari, you guys didn't clear many customers today," Chris summed up in a grave tone while shaking his head, Kiara swallowed nervously while Chris turned his attention to the Red team, "And Whales, snapping at your clients? Really?"

"They wouldn't stop asking for bigger rooms!" Elsa shouted while balling her fists. Her teammates crossed their arms and glared at her, causing her to go quiet.

"And Plankton, wrong Luggage to the wrong rooms. Wow…" Chris trailed while the green team all glared at Bebe and Bree. That was until their eyes lifted to Chris again, "The team with Two hundred and twenty two points and second place is The Whales. You guys survive another day, but you will be staffing until we reach our next destination."

A collective sigh of relief passed through the red team while Chris gazed at the Calamari and Plankton.

"One of you had a forty seven points, the other had thirty nine," Chris announced while all eyes stared at him. Kiara's quivered, Bree's avoided contact, and Bebe's gazed down. Chris smirked and raised a finger while Liam grabbed his hair and Jules bit his lip, "The team that lost today is… The Putrid Plankton."

A sigh coursed through the yellow team as the Green team sent all their eyes to Bree and Bebe again. The two losers glanced at each other and then across their disappointed teammates with pursed lips.

"I'll see you chumps at elimination tonight," Chris concluded before pointing at the Sharks, "And I'll see you guys at cast off this afternoon!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I don't know who's worse, the one who didn't press the button or the one who didn't notice the other failing to press the button," Lara hisses before entering a look of deep thought.

* * *

A loud ship horn coursed through the afternoon air as mooring lines were dropped and music filled the air. A live band played rock music and people cheered while ten glasses clinked together.

"To the Sinister Sharks!" Raina announced while cheers filled the air. The boat began moving and all ten of them rushed to the edge. Feet pounding across the deck trying to beat the rest of the passengers to the best views.

"OH! This is so exciting, just like the floobinyacht in the homeland," Helden giggled while grabbing Bryce's arm. Bryce simply placed a hand on Helden face and shoved him to the ground still giggling. Wind coursed through Raina's hair and smiles spread across the entire team's faces as they began to pick up speed. The harbour began to whiz by and the boat picked up speed chugging out of the populated city and leaving the buildings in the distance. The west coast began to vanish behind them as they slowed down. The ship began to turn, changing direction northwards and filling the air with a chilling arctic breeze.

"How long do you think we have here?" Trevor asked with a bright smile while the wind forced him to squint his eyes.

"A day, two maybe, who cares?!" Lloyd laughed before downing some of the departure punch in his champagne glass. Renee imitated him and downed what was left in her glass as well. Warren went to join them but his hand slipped and the glass cascaded down into the water below. It clinked against the hull of the ship leaving red juice splattered all over the side before it hit the salty water and vanished. His team began laughing with the exception of Roxie who just pointed out the red liquid running down the hull in disgust claiming it would get sticky. She was drowned out by Olga slapping Warren on the back and nearly causing him to join his drink before Phoebe and Trevor grabbed him. The laughing intensified as the boat let out a horn blow and rocketed forward with powerful engines. All ten members of the Sinister Sharks inhaled deeply taking in the salty scent of a fresh season of Total Drama.

* * *

The Sun was setting when the intercom buzzed to life in the rather drab and boring crew bunk. Chris' voice called for the _Pathetic_ Plankton with a laugh and every member of the Whales and Calamari glanced at the green team with slow blinks and curious gazes, almost like they were trying to remember who was who on the team. The members of the Putrid Plankton stood up one by one and exited the room while the Whales and Calamari watched them go.

The twilight air on deck was cold yet pleasant, a sign that the night would be unwelcome when it arrived. Couples watched the setting sun on all but the rear deck. That was blocked off by several interns that only allowed the ten losers past them. They trooped down to the poolside and found Chris there illuminated by the blue light of the waters. Behind him sat a solitary lifeboat hoisted over the water and rocking in the wind. Bree swallowed upon seeing it and the ten contestants sat down near the water's edge. Anne and Diane removed their shoes and put their bare feet in the water but everyone else remained tense and shoed.

"In Total Drama Ocean Cruise you must outlive, outlast, and outplay thirty nine other contestants. Not just for the million but for recognition, importance, and whatever else you want. I don't even remember who's on what team right now. I thought Deek was part of this team," Chris admitted while scratching his chin.

"Deek?" Nia asked in pure monotone.

"Exactly," Chris replied while crossing his arms, "Who are you Nia? Or You Bebe? What about you Nancy? You barely know one another, I barely know you, and the audience probably forgot some of you existed. Regardless, one of you will be going home this evening and become the first one eliminated from this game. You will find ten passports in that supply closet over there, you will stamp the passport of the person you think deserves to be eliminated, the player with the most votes is eliminated. The rest get to have the best part of any cruise ship. The cheap mints we put in cabins after we clean em. Now get voting turkeys!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

Bebe quickly stamps a passport with Bree's face on it.

"No hard feelings, I just need to cover my own butt, and the best way to do that is to target yours!" Bree announces while picking up Bebe's passport and giving it a stamp.

Nia stamps a passport without an expression change.

"Okay, which one is Bebe again?" Anne asks in confusion while scratching her mahogany hair and looking between three passports.

Yvonne stamps a passport while her face contorts into a sneer and muttering escapes her lips.

* * *

"The votes are tallied and the decision is final, Anne, you're safe tonight," Chris announced while tossing a foil covered mint at the redhead. She was only the beginning too. He proceeded to call out every player that didn't even receive a vote. Boring Nia, Workaholic Lara, Bookworm Sophie, Animal lover Zilka, Middle Child Diane, Child Star Yvonne, and ditzy Nancy. None of them had screwed up royally, the attention had been put on the two remaining contestants and there was only one mint remaining, something most patrons would toss in the trash or eat without thinking. But the mere sight of it and only it caused Bree and Bebe to exchange a look. Bebe swallowed nervously and Bree did the same.

"The final mint and final symbol of immunity goes to…" Chris started. His voice trailing off into dead silence. Bebe and Bree exchanged a look of horror and she bit her lip while he began to mutter about the elevator.

…

…

…

… Bebe," Chris concluded while tossing the mint to the girl. It fell into her outstretched hands while Bree blinked and scowled. He rose to his feet and turned to the nine girls that had contributed to his elimination.

"YOU CAN'T ELIMINATE ME! It wasn't my fault! IT'S NOT FAIR! IT'S NOT FAIR! IT'S NOT FAIR!" Bree shouted while stomping his foot like a little kid.

"Whoof, you are whiny," Yvonne lamented while Bree growled and turned his back to his team finding Chris motioning to the life boat. He huffed and walked towards it leaping inside and seating himself angrily.

"I HOPE YOU LOSE EVERY SINGLE-" He started before Chris hit the lever to drop him, and with a zip and a splash he was in the drink. Silence overtook the elimination area and Bebe scratched her arm awkwardly.

"Well, you better hope you made an impression today, and better yet that you made a good one, else you might be next," Chris stated in a very cold manner, "Now get some sleep, your first shift starts at six AM sharp."

Groaning filled the air and everyone trooped out while Chris watched them go. He let out a sigh and turned to the camera with a sly grin.

"One down, thirty nine to go. I don't even remember half these guys but I think they've already made an impact one way or another. Will the Sharks win again? Will the Plankton lose again? Will I remember what the Red team was called?" Find out next time on Total. Drama. Ocean. Cruise…"


	2. Alaskan Bear Hunt

**Total Drama Ocean Cruise**

 **Chapter II: Alaskan Bear Hunt**

 **Written By The Firebending Frog**

* * *

Water lapped against the side of the _S.S. McLean_ as she powered northwards passing coastlines filled with expansive old growth forests. Ancient trees untouched by man and small shorelines studded with rocks whizzed past in the early morning light. Cold southbound wind coursed by and passengers lounged on the deck, fiddled around in the arcade, and dined in the restaurants. Seagulls chirped and called from the high points on the deck and children ran out of their rooms ahead of their parents. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the first day at sea. Everyone save the people working that is.

"We've been waiting half an hour for our breakfast!" An angry eyed woman with two boys sitting with her shouted at Kiara. The venom in her voice was clearly not just regarding the wait for food but a general anger at the entire Creepy Calamari team, who were walking around the dining hall carrying food, clearing tables, and refilling water glasses.

"The kitchen's moving as… Ugh… Fast as they can," Kiara replied just as one of the boy kicked her leg so hard she wanted to scream in rage.

"You people are so incompetent, why can't we have the blue team taking care of us?" The mother commented angrily.

"Oh they're delightful," The gentleman at the table Kiara was taking an order from laughed, "Fast service, polite, and full of life."

His family all grinned at Kiara, she sighed again as they began to order. Yet through it all she could hear that woman behind her tapping her manicured finger against the table. It was an inconsistent tempo that only seemed to increase as time went on. Kiara bit her lip wanting nothing more than to tell the woman to stop, the only problem with that was a collection of staff evaluation forms present on every table. They all had the words _The Creepy Calamari_ printed on the top and were coloured yellow. It could only mean Chris intended to keep track of their service from this point on, and assuming it wouldn't have any effect on the contest was a death sentence.

Kiara was exceptionally happy to get away from the mother and her two kids. She walked to the kitchen and placed the order she had just taken onto the counter. Half her team was inside. Lucile, Nadie, Josh, Louise, and Frank were in there, all possessing at least a decent amount of cooking experience. It was honestly Lucile who was leading the team in the kitchen. Her twin braided blonde hair moved as she flipped and scrambled eggs to perfection. Josh stood near the counter and took the bill from Kiara and looked it over before glancing at the redhead sympathetically.

"You okay?" Josh asked with curiosity filling his blue eyes.

"They hate us," Kiara sighed while scratching her arm, "And it's kind of my fault."

"Nonsense, It's as much your fault as it is mine," Josh replied while putting on a smile he hoped Kiara would return. Unfortunately Louisee brought up two plates of food just as he said this and Kiara picked them up with a deep inhale. Josh looked at her again and made eye contact with her guilt ridden pupils, "We'll win today, we just gotta smile."

Kiara forced a small smile onto her face in response and turned with the food in hand towards an elderly couple that had given them an absolute zero the day before.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"We won yesterday but only because the other teams bit it," Raina admits while sitting in the confession and tapping her foot on the ground. "I don't know my team's weaknesses, strengths, or anything really…"

She pauses and looks around the room with pursed lips.

"It doesn't help that some of my teammates have just been bumming around all morning. Warren spent all morning watching nature documentaries," Raina sighs while scratching her arm. "And I can assure you that won't help anyone!"

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

"It's official, I'll lop off my own arm to eat up here again," Lloyd laughed with a mouth full of oatmeal mixed with fresh peaches and yogurt. Roxie watched food slide down his chin in utter dismay and Helden picked up a napkin and licked it. He was about to press it against Lloyd's face when the boy glared at him and gave a heavy growl and grabbed for the nearest knife. Helden then lowered the napkin and proceeded to whistle as if nothing had happened at all.

"Not having to work also helps," Warren replied with a quick laugh and a content sigh, "The last thing I want to do is clean up after some vacation goer."

"We'll all be here again if we work as a team," Raina stated while rising to her feet. "We need a game plan!"

"For what?" Trevor demanded while pounding his fist on the table and causing all the condiments to bounce slightly, "We don't even know what the next challenge will be."

"Dude's right, we make a plan when we get to the challenge," Phoebe agreed before spooning some breakfast into her mouth.

"But we can still plan ahead, we need a team captain," Raina explained while gazing over her teammates. "And I nominate myself for that position."

"Hey if you wanna be first to go if we screw up, be my guest," Lloyd remarked before shovelling more food into his mouth.

A low murmur began to spread and Bryce glanced back and forth between his teammates until his eyes fell on Raina and proceeded to narrow.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"No way I take orders from a girl," Bryce laments as he leans back in the seat, "I'm a man, I need to take charge. I can run marathons, dunk a basketball, and get the number off any chick I ask. No way Raina can do any of that…"

* * *

"I nominate myself as competition for you," Bryce announced while rising to his feet.

"Ooh! Old Fashion throw down is exciting," Helden giggled while clapping his hands together, "Shall we have contest of Heisenhoofen eating or egg of birdie collecting?"

Raina stared at Bryce before pointing her nose up and nodding, "A contest then, today we both suggest ideas and whomever the team follows the most gets the position."

"You're on!" Bryce smirked in response and the two of them locked hands and shook. He made sure to squeeze as they did this, something Raina tried to ignore. She had won class presidency five years running and a little macho man wasn't about to throw her off. If she beat him no one could doubt her leadership.

The rest of the Sharks watched the two stare each other down. Eyes drifting from one contestant to the next wondering who would win such a contest and the position of team leader.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Either way, I'm not on the chopping block," Lloyd snickers while using a hunting knife to begin carving something in the wall. He snickers again almost like he found something else funny, something he doesn't want to share.

* * *

 **Putrid Plankton**

* * *

"How?" Was all Anne could muster as she and Nia stared over the absolute train wreck of a room lying before them. The passengers had left the beds unmade, clothes stern on the floor, the toilet unflushed, and facial hair all over the counter.

"Simple, the patrons of this room do not see this as their home and know it will be cleaned before they return. Why would they waste their own time making sure to keep it clean when they're paying someone else to do that for them?" Nia replied while looking at Anne in deadpan. Anne blinked in reply and sighed grabbing the bedding as quickly as possible. Nia flushed the toilet while Anne put down fresh sheets, linens, and comforters. She wasn't sure what to do with the undergarments left lying around so she picked them up and folded them. They were placed neatly atop a suitcase while the garbage was emptied and Nia scrubbed down the counter.

Mints from elimination were put on the pillows and the floor was vacuumed. Nia scrubbed the toilet, cleaned the floor, and sink, and Anne put an evaluation card down on the bed. After roughly half an hour of hard work they were done that room and could move onto the next.

Most of the rooms were decent. A quick bed making, a toilet scrub, and fresh linens. Every so often they'd come across one that needed to have the bed stripped down or find vomit on the floor. It wasn't until they were in one relatively clean room that Anne let out an excited squeal of delight. Nia poked her head out of the bathroom to find Anne crouched near the window with a smile on her face.

"He's so cute," Anne grinned as she stared at the eight legged stowaway sitting in the center of its web. It was stuck to the window fluttering in the air conditioning. Nia walked over and stared down at the arachnid while Anne gazed over the webbing and small black spider with a happy smile.

"Well, kill it already," Nia stated.

"Kill him? No way!" Anne replied while looking at the spider, "This little guy will catch flies, look at that abdomen, he's already been eating well. Probably ate one today."

"Most people are arachnophobic," Nia replied before smacking the spider with the bottle of toilet cleaner. When she removed the bottle the spider was nothing more than a yellow pile of goop with two twitching legs protruding from it. Anne's face dropped as Nia returned to her cleaning. The legs stopped twitching and she let out a deep sigh.

"Sorry little guy," Anne apologized before spraying window cleaner on the spider and wiping him away.

* * *

 **The Whimsical Whales**

* * *

"Oh Waitress! Can I get another drink," Lloyd laughed from his lawn chair while waving his drink around. A bikini clad Olga joined him causing Elsa to sigh and glance at Ryan tending the smoothie Bar.

"Can you believe them?" Elsa demanded while looking at her teammate and expecting him to join in on some mockery.

"We could be there, if you hadn't FREAKED OUT AT OUR PASSENGERS!" Ryan replied angrily while slamming a cloth down on the counter and glaring at his teammate. Elsa let out a sigh before walking over to the poolside where passengers and members of the Shark team lounged in the sunlight. The Alaskan shoreline moved in the distance and a lot of passengers watched it drift past with bright eyes. Elsa snatched the glass from Lloyd angrily and he shook his head while clicking his lips.

"My my, perhaps we ought to give them a low evaluation, what do you think Olga?" Lloyd asked with a snicker.

"You get to grade us?" Elsa asked, suddenly spiked with fear.

"Maybe, not that you'll find out considering we're going to keep winning," Lloyd replied with his annoying snicker emerging again and making Elsa's eye twitch. He held out a fist and his teammate bumped it while Elsa walked back to the bar and placed her tray onto it. Ryan took the glasses from her and tossed them into the sink. A gross breaking sound emerged that made Elsa's eye twitch.

"Be careful!" Elsa exclaimed.

"OH, YOU THINK YOU COULD DO A BETTER JOB?!" Ryan demanded in anger before unbuttoning his shirt and throwing it on the ground. He stormed away with his hands in his pockets leaving the bar unmanned. Elsa grit her teeth in anger and walked around the side grumbling as she went. She entered the tight space and was in the process of putting smoothies on when Jason approached.

"Where's Ryan going?" He asked curiously.

"I don't know?! Maybe to plan my elimination!" Elsa replied while throwing her hands in the air, "Everyone is blaming me for our loss yesterday, even though it wasn't my fault!"

"Not everyone blames you, you screwed up, just make a difference today," Jason replied with a shrug. Elsa continued to blend the smoothie while her face contorted into a look of rage.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"My mom taught me not to let anyone bully you," Elsa explains while crossing her arms, "Not boys who tug your hair, coaches who call a foul on you, or teachers who decide your assignments aren't good enough for a hundred percent. If my team thinks they can just push me around they have another thing coming, because I am _exactly_ like my mother!"

* * *

The loudspeaker rumbled to life across the entire cruise ship, passengers and contestants alike looked up at it as Chris' voice emerged.

"Good morning, the weather today is fair and we'll be spending the day looking at ice cliffs along the Alaskan shoreline," Chris explained while Elsa, Jason, Lloyd, and Olga stared at the loudspeaker like it was a screen.

"As for our contestants, they'll be dropped off here for a very special challenge which you people will see the results of later," Chris continued while Anne and Nia locked the final room on the floor they'd been assigned to.

"Contestants, I want to see your butts down at the second deck for transport to shore in fifteen minutes or you'll have to swim!" Chris concluded as Kiara glanced at the woman with two sons walking out of the restaurant.

"Hope your team loses," She sneered as she walked past with a solid zero on the evaluation form left behind. Kiara frowned heavily and glared at the mother's back as she left.

* * *

Birds chirped from the trees, water lapped against the shore, and mosquitos swarmed as the thirty nine contestants stood on the beautiful Alaskan shoreline with Chris, Chef, and several interns.

"Welcome to Alaska," Chris announced while holding his hands out. The birds continued to chirp while the wind rustled through the trees bringing the scent of wildflowers with it. The teens looked around curiously while Chris clapped his hands together drawing their attention back to him, "Your challenge is to film a wild animal and create a documentary for our passengers, the team with the highest rating wins first class passage to our next destination while the team with the lowest rating boots a member."

"Is our next location Japan?" Jules asked.

"Zip it!" Chris shouted with a point at Jules.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"It's totally Japan next," Jules mutters while blowing some hair out of his eyes.

* * *

"Part one of your challenge is to film something," Chris explained while Chef picked up two high quality cameras.

"Oh my," Josh gasped while covering his mouth. Excitement flourished through his body while Chef handed the cameras to Raina and Bryce respectively.

"For coming first last week The Sharks get two top of the line cameras to catch footage with," Chris explained while Chef pulled two more cameras out of a large container, "And because The Whimsical Whales got the best staff evaluations during our trip from Vancouver they get the same reward."

"Yes!" Gabriel exclaimed as Chef handed him and Deek the high quality cameras from before.

"Calamari, Plankton, you guys get stuff that was top of the line… Thirty years ago," Chris grinned as Chef handed both teams a single camera that had probably been purchased at a garage sale. Both teams immediately groaned and stared at their opponents.

"You said this was part one…" Raina started.

"Part two is taking the footage you shoot in three hours and editing a twenty minute film for our guests," Chris explained, "You'll get a few hours to work on it. The more footage you capture the better your film will be. Now, begin tracking!"

Chris and the rest of the crew made their way back to the small boat they'd ridden out to shore while the Sinister Sharks huddled in a circle and glanced over at Bryce and Raina who just happened to be holding their cameras.

"Okay, this makes it easy then, whoever has the most footage used in the film gets to be team captain," Lloyd suggested.

"Fine, but we shouldn't hunt down a bear or anything solitary," Raina agreed while crossing her arms, "I don't want to simply film something sleeping."

"Lloyd can you track anything?" Bryce asked and all eyes were turned to the camouflage clad teen.

"Of course, how about we find a herd of Caribou, they won't attack, a large herd means we focus on individuals, and we might see scavengers and predators," He suggested while murmuring began filling the air, all of which was in agreement.

"Well then, let's roll out!" Bryce exclaimed and with that the Sinister Sharks took off running bypassing the other three teams and rushing out into the bush. The Creepy Calamari watched them go with pursed lips trying to figure out what they were hunting.

"We could do a deer," Nadie suggested.

"No way, if one of the other teams captures a deer and does a better job than us we're on the chopping block," Liam replied, "We need to find something obscure, something hidden, and something people don't think of when they think of Alaska."

"What about a fox?" Kiara asked while pointing down the shoreline. Watching them from the water's edge was a handsome Red fox with a brightly coloured pelt and clean fur. He stared at the yellow team with bright eyes before darting into the bushes.

"He'll have a den nearby!" Nadie exclaimed before both girls took off.

"NO WAIT!" Liam exclaimed before his entire team took off after the fox. He let out a sigh before following them.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"A fox isn't rare!" Liam exclaims while sitting back in a huff. "What if another team captures a fox, or worse we go on a wild goose chase and fail to find anything!"

* * *

 **Putrid Plankton**

* * *

"We could do a bug," Anne suggested while crouching down and watching a salmonfly crawl near the water.

"Ew, no! We need something people actually want to see!" Yvonne replied while quickly crushing the insect underfoot, "No one wants to see a bug, spider, or whatever. They want something big, powerful, and inspiring!"

"How about we go for something we can actually film," Lara replied while snatching the camera from Yvonne and turning it on. "Salmon seems like a good choice."

"No, let's go find a bear," Yvonne retorted while grabbing the camera again. Both girls struggled with it pointing the camera at the water. The exact way they were holding it and the framing caught perfectly the action of a bald eagle flying down to the water and snatching a fish out of it. It flew back into the air and the entire team stared after it with their mouths agape.

It took about five seconds for every girl to cluster around the camera as Yvonne replayed the footage again. The eagle soared in, snatched the fish, and flew off. Everything was captured. It was so well framed and shot that all nine girls got excited.

"Eagle it is!" Lara exclaimed before the girls took off in the direction the eagle had flown while the Whimsical Whales watched them go.

"We're filming a bear, that's final," Elsa stated matter of factly.

"I don't think that's a very good idea," Erin replied with a deep swallow and nervous look around.

"The auras of other animals are much stronger than bears. We could find Orcas in the bay, eagles in the sky, bison on the-" Deek started before Natalie pushed him over.

"People want spectacle Hipstick, not magic yoga powers!" Natalie exclaimed.

"Let's fan out and look for tracks!" Elsa suggested before the team separated and began to scan over the shoreline.

Erin parted some bushes and was immediately swarmed by small black flies. He screamed in terror and rushed away while the swarm chased him. Deek took a seat in lotus position and tried to connect his mind to the animals and plants around him. He let the swaying of the trees enter his ears, the feel of moisture lap against his face, and the energy of the universe enter his body. Wilma jogged down the shoreline looking back and forth for any kind of tracks in the mud while Anne lifted up a rock and gasped in wonder as small grubs tried to escape the light.

The searching continued rather fruitlessly until Erin stumbled into a stream and stood up sopping wet. The water was cool and clear and along the shore were muddy bear tracks on the rocks. Wilma ran back towards him pointing at the bear tracks in the water. The duo immediately exchanged a gleeful look and called their teammates over.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I'm typically working against Lady Luck," Erin Admits while hunching with his elbows on his legs. "So fingers crossed this won't turn out poorly!"

* * *

 **The Creepy Calamari**

* * *

"There!" Lucile exclaimed as she pointing at the tail of the fox vanishing into the woods. Josh scurried over with the camera in hand and slid to a halt right near the fox's vanishing point. He managed to shoot some footage of it running away before he lost it.

Bubba spared no time and immediately pushed his way into the thicket. Kiara, Lucile, and Nadie immediately followed him. Liam grabbed the branches and held them up for Josh but turned towards Jules, Stewart and Louise with an eyebrow raised.

"You nerds coming?" Liam asked.

"You have to be a baka to enter that thicket," Jules replied in utter deadpan while Stewart and Louise glanced at him with raised eyebrows.

"Well, hope you enjoy elimination then!" Liam exclaimed as Frank rushed the thicket and Liam followed him. The trio of Calamari boys were left standing on the shoreline swatting flies until Jules looked over and asked if they had any anime on their phones.

The rest of the team made their way through the thicket, through small pockets of marshland, up onto hills, and through ancient trees looming far above the forest floor. When they broke free the fox stood atop a hillside watching their approach. Josh filmed it standing there, the camcorder clearly distracting the animal. Then with a quick motion it dove between the roots of a tree and vanished into a den while the team rushed the hillside and stopped amidst the fallen leaves. A gaping hole sat below the tree trunk and the fox was down there somewhere, hidden from sight.

"How do we get it out?" Bubba asked while staring into the gaping nothingness.

"We could smoke him out," Liam suggested while flicking his lighter on.

"No," Nadie replied while grabbing Liam's arm and lowering it. The flame went out and her team stared at her. "We need to respect him and give him space. Let's back up, set the camera up, and wait for him to come out."

"And what if he doesn't come out?" Liam asked with his eyes narrowing. "Then what? Do we show these people a documentary about a tree? Last time I checked, trees aren't interesting!"

"Well if you scare him off the chances of us catching much is equally as bad," Nadie replied before the two got in each other's faces.

"Guys, let's just wait it out, if he comes out we get to film him, if he doesn't we have three losers that didn't come with us," Frank stated while Nadie smirked and Liam huffed and stalked off into the treeline where he slammed his back against a tree and avoided eye contact.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"If you respect nature it will reward you," Nadie smiles while nodding at her own wisdom.

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

"What do you mean jump in the river?!" Raina demanded as Lloyd knelt down feeling the caribou tracks he'd just discovered.

"Perfume stands out and spooks animals," Lloyd replied, "Anyone who showered this morning needs to scrub it off!"

"No way," Raina replied while waving her hands.

"Oh come on Raina, I'm sure you smell nice even without perfume," Warren grinned. Raina sighed and pointed at the men on the team with a sharp fingernail, "None of you better spy on me!"

"Wouldn't dream of it princess," Trevor replied before Raina stalked towards the river. Renee, Roxie, and Phoebe followed her while Olga hung back and looked at all the tracks Lloyd had found. An awkward silence immediately filled the air and no one bothered turn around and look for the girls, just out a fear of seeing through the trees and being murdered by one of the team captain candidates.

Birds whistled in the trees and Warren quickly joined them as the awkward air spread through the area. The girls took some time down by the water but eventually Raina returned with wet hair and the scent of the stream clinging to her clothes. The other girls followed and the guys quickly grabbed Helden and dragged him screaming to the water.

"NOOOHOHO!" Helden shrieked before he was thrown fully clothed into the stream and followed by the guys. Raina in the meantime picked up her camera and grumbled to herself.

"Better not waste any footage sweetheart," Bryce laughed as he returned from the water's edge. His hair was still dripping and when he shook it out the water splashed all over Raina. She wrinkled her nose in response and as the guys returned the group began to walk through the forest again.

Raina found herself falling to the back of the group and soon enough Warren was right next to her. He gave her a smile and she frowned and turned her gaze away.

"What? I told you that you wouldn't stink," Warren laughed before falling silent. They brushed through the tall grasses and Warren gazed at the birds in the trees with a smile on his face. After a short pause he turned to Raina with a smile that she raised an eyebrow at, "You should catch some candid footage."

"I don't want to waste film," Raina replied while crossing her arms.

"You wouldn't be wasting film," Warren laughed while scratching his hair, "I've seen a lot of documentaries and the best ones always have footage of the wilderness. It makes shot changes less jarring and can set up a mood to narrate over."

"You think I should just film the trees?" Raina asked in deadpan.

"We're giving these people a taste of Alaska, not just a taste of Caribou," Warren laughed, something Raina returned, though she was unsure if the joke was intended.

"Okay, I'll do it," Raina exhaled before turning her camera on. She gazed through the lens and Warren waved at her before stepping out of frame. The camera caught the trees swaying in the wind, the trickle of the creek far below, and birds flying to a fro. Long summer grasses swayed from hares and other animals running amuck and the sunlight caused trees to cast long shadows over the landscape. Raina felt a smile creep over her lips and she turned to the other side, continuing to capture the nature trail they were walking upon.

* * *

 **Putrid Plankton**

* * *

The eagle screeched from its nest far above. Yvonne and Lara were giddy with excitement as Lara captured a low angle on the nest. The bald eagle was a perfect actor, looking back and forth diligently and moving every so often. Perched in its nest it wasn't moving much but as they watched it was joined by another eagle of similar colouration. Some good editing could turn this rather simple scenario into an exciting film with plenty of points of interest.

"I bet they have chicks up there," Zilka grinned while holding her hands together with a smile.

"Baby animals eh…" Yvonne grinned while her team stared at her. Her eyes drifted across all of them before falling upon Bebe. "Bebe, take the camera and climb that tree!"

"Why me?!" Bebe demanded while motioning to herself.

"Well, you did lose us the last challenge," Yvonne replied innocently. She sauntered closer and closer to Bebe before putting her arm around the pink haired girl. "If you get footage of eagle chicks we'll forgive you for that."

"Um…" Bebe Trailed while swallowing nervously. Lara held the camera out and Bebe shut her eyes in terror before opening them with faux confidence. "Okay fine."

She took the camera and quickly turned to a towering tree creaking back and forth in the wind. She bit her lip and felt all over the base before finding a knot in the wood and lifting herself upwards. She clung to the tree while breathing heavily and began to work her way up the thick trunk, it was too thick in fact. She lost balance several times and was threatened to be deposited on the ground. Relief didn't come until she hit the first branch. Her foot fell on it and she exhaled deeply finding more knots and twists in the bark to haul herself up with. The trunk began to thin and branches became more and more common. She stepped upwards again and again, drawing closer and closer to the top with each passing second.

No mammals like Squirrels seemed to live in the tree, no beehives, woodpeckers, or anything really. All of them had been kept back by the close proximity to the eagle nest and she could almost feel the eagle parents staring at her curiously, probably drawn to her pink hair. The thick trunk was no longer an issue and climbing became faster as the ground drew further away. Bebe missed tree branches several times and nearly tumbled to the ground, grabbing the wooden splints with a pounding heart whenever she lost her footing. Soon the thickness of the trunk was too low and Bebe felt the sway of the wind far too much. It made her heart beat out a frantic rhythm and she closed her eyes with fear several times.

Leaves brushed into her face and branches snapped due to their small size, but finally she got high enough to see into the eagle nest. She locked her thighs onto a thick branch and picked the camera up, zooming into the nest and capturing raw footage of two eaglets playing tug of war with a stick while their parents scanned the area. They stared right at Bebe, probably trying to determine if she was a threat. The larger mother was tense while the father didn't ever break eye contact with Bebe.

The chicks were little fluffballs, they cheeped angrily at one another and when one won the tug of war it ran around the nest with its sibling chasing and screeching angrily. Bebe giggled as she watched this. She couldn't film forever though. The father was starting to tense up. She exhaled and put her foot down before promptly slipping and falling several feet. Her Shirt caught on a branch and she was thankfully saved from medivac. Her team cheered for her as she lowered herself down the tree, losing her balance as she went. Her feet hit the ground and she promptly collapsed, the fear of what she had just done swarmed in her while the rest of the team cheered and crowded around the camera to watch what she had captured. Bebe just let out a sigh and allowed a smile to cross her face.

* * *

 **The Creepy Calamari**

* * *

"Well this sucks," Liam complained from his tree.

"Dude, will you shut up?" Josh demanded in an exasperated tone.

Practically every member of the Creepy Calamari was stiff, tired, and bored out of their minds. Josh stood at the edge of the clearing holding the camera but the fox had failed to emerge at all. No one had made a sound for at least half an hour and by this point Kiara and Lucile had taken to playing tic tac toe in the grime on the forest floor.

"Maybe if we had Josh back here with us," Nadie suggested with a shrug.

"Who holds the camera then?" Liam asked while standing up straight, "I say we ditch the fox and head to the water's edge, film some fish or whatever."

"No, Nadie is right," Josh replied while placing the camera down. It continued to record as Josh hurried back to the edge of the clearing. He crouched down between Frank and Nadie while Liam rolled his eyes.

Silence overtook the clearing again. The camera remained pointed at the tree trunk waiting for the fox to emerge. Everyone waited with baited breath and to their amazement the white and red snout of the fox emerged from its den and scented the air. It paused and everyone held their breath. Then with a tentative step it emerged, sunlight dappled across its fur as it stepped out of the den, took a look at the camera, and darted forward.

"NO!" Josh yelped as the fox bit into the camera strap and rushed back to the Den. Josh stepped after it but by the time he emerged from the brush the fox was gone, taking the camera with it.

A loud clapping began as Liam emerged from his tree and walked right up to Josh with an angered frown and stern eyes. He continued to clap sarcastically as Josh backed up to Nadie.

"Go easy on him Liam," Lucile whispered and Liam stopped his clapping and turned to her.

"Did you like serving a bunch of pampered tourists this morning?!" Liam demanded before sweeping his eyes across every member of his team present, "Sure we have elimination fodder back on the beach but we also won't get a good night's sleep. Every time we fail to land first we end up one step behind the winning team. The Sharks are energized, ready for anything, and confident. No footage means no movie. The other teams could have their fingers in front of the lens and still beat us!"

"So what are you going to do about it?!" Josh demanded while shoving Liam aside. Liam shoved him back and Josh fell rump first onto the ground.

"I'm going to go take Anime boy's phone and film some fish, at least they won't steal the camera!" Liam shouted before walking into the bush and shoving branches aside to clear room for himself. Josh lowered his eyes and let out a sigh. He looked back at the Fox Den knowing full well it wouldn't be bringing the camcorder back.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Wow this kid is a weeb!" Liam shouts as he fiddles with Jules' cell phone.

* * *

 **The Whimsical Whales**

* * *

The paw prints had ended some time ago but evidence that they were indeed following a bear continued as they marched forward up the stream banks. Birds whistled at the Red team members as they passed over more and more picturesque landscape. Elsa made sure to capture all of it. If they didn't find the bear at the very least they could throw together a half decent documentary about the wilderness. A few times her teammates spotted wild hares watching them from the grasses but deep down she knew rabbits were far less interesting than bears. The trek continued for some time, so long in fact that red team members began to look back at Elsa as if begging to be released from the long trek.

Elsa didn't lament. She had them push forward, on and on, and her patience was rewarded, because motion up ahead made a grin spread across her face. Ahead of them an absolutely massive grizzly bear trooped up the shoreline. Everyone began shushing one another and Elsa snapped her fingers signalling Wilma to raise the other camera.

"I'm going to connect with him," Deek announced while sitting down and taking a meditative stance, "Make him turn around and pose for the camera, his aura is very powerful."

"I'm pretty sure that's a female grizzly," Erin replied rather nervously while looking around, "We should keep an eye out for cubs."

"No that is a male bear, his aura is strong. He sees something scary, he wants help," Deek replied.

"We talking about the same bear?" Erin asked as the Grizzly turned to look at them. Deek cracked an eye open and pointed at the bushes nearby. A pair of gleaming eyes watched them. A small snout gazed up and a baby bear watched them. The grizzly at the top of the creek gave a massive angry roar and Elsa felt her eyes go wide.

"RUN!" She ordered as the Grizzly began romping towards them. The entire team panicked and made a break for the trees.

"Do we climb? Do we play dead?" Gabriel screamed in terror as they bolted towards the fields screaming in terror.

"We run, and we don't stop!" Elsa screamed as the bear continued to chase them.

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

The field was filled with a massive herd of Caribou and two rival film crews had begun taking footage of the horned animals. Lloyd however stayed back and leaned against a tree. The Caribou weren't in season yet, most of them were female to boot. This place was like a hunter's dream come true. Pristine nature, plenty of game, and a lack of roads and human settlements. He inhaled and exhaled deeply content to enjoy his time in the pristine wilderness. He led his team to the Caribou after all, so the fact he wasn't helping right now was redundant.

Bryce was sneaking up close to a certain pair of Caribou. He didn't really get Caribou so he assumed they were planning to mate or something. Olga had followed him and they filmed the great animals, creeping ever closer as they went. Bryce needed more footage used in the final film so getting up close and personal was bound to earn him some screen time. Raina seemed more content with distance shots and her cowardice would be her undoing.

"Keep the edge of the herd just within the shot. You need some distance between the final animal and the edge of the screen," Warren explained as he pointed Raina to the panning shot. The entire herd was spreading out, the animals edging their way to the distant forest. Comfort seemed to be overtaking them and Warren kept talking about shots he'd seen in documentaries. Long sweeping motions that established and cut away from events. Raina just smiled broader and broader as she captured more and more footage. She could use these tips and tricks to gain team leadership. While Bryce focused on events she could focus on the herd as a whole, something the editor could get endless use from.

"I kind of like this," Raina stated with a broad smile.

"Heheh, yeah, nature can be beautiful. A good photographer knows how to make even an ugly scenery look nice… We should probably worry about the Creepy Calamari then," Warren admitted, "They have Josh and Kiara on their team, two people really adept with cameras."

"How do I make this look better?" Raina asked.

"Get low," Warren replied. Raina glanced down looking at the mud below her. She exhaled and pressed her chest against it. The camera fell to eye level with the plains and Raina felt her smile broaden a little.

"Never would have done this without you here," Raina admitted, allowing her eyes to drift down to the cold and filthy mud she was lying in.

"Oh… Thanks," Warren laughed while scratching the back of his head. "I think you'd make a better leader than Bryce."

"How so?" Raina asked while glancing up at her teammate.

"Well, you definitely are willing to listen to me, and that's important," Warren shrugged while taking a seat in the mud with Raina. "And you're willing to get dirty even if we're not guaranteed to win. Seems like you have your head in the right place. Bryce seems more… Competitive. He just does stuff to show people up. He'll steer us to disaster if he leads."

"How is it that the guy who spent all morning on the couch is talking the smartest?" Raina asked while continuing to film the Caribou.

"Hey! I'm lazy, not stupid," Warren laughed and Raina joined him.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Judging by Bryce's position and his movements he's going to have a lot of footage for Raina to compete with…" Warren trails before pursing his lips and scratching the peach fuzz on his chin thoughtfully.

* * *

 **The Whimsical Whales**

* * *

Gabriel let out a pathetically feminine scream as the bear pressed its weight against the tree again. The entire tree trembled and Elsa nearly lose her grip. Wilma was somehow still filming but Elsa wasn't sure if the angry bear was the best footage. Her paws kept bashing against the tree and her maw kept opening and displaying rows upon rows of sharp teeth.

"Just go away already," Natalie cried before the entire tree rattled again and Elsa felt her grip slip. Her thighs clung to the tree branch but the camera hit the ground with a thud. The bear suddenly ceased its angry thumping and sniffed the camera filled with all the candid footage.

"NO! GET AWAY FROM THAT!" Elsa shouted before the Bear gave a roar and bashed the camera away. It rolled downhill and the bear gave chase.

"THIS IS OUR CHANCE!" Jason exclaimed, leaping down and being sided by Erin falling onto a rock and groaning. The team emerged from the trees and Elsa leapt down and made a break for the camera the bear had chased. Wilma managed to grab her and prevent her from having a close encounter with the distracted animal

"Just forget it!" Wilma ordered and the ten of them made a break for it. Their feet clomped against the ground and they dashed across the fields startling a large herd of Caribou. Members of the Sinister Sharks startled the team but Wilma quickly led the team forward. Her strong legs put distance between them and the sharks, but the blue team quickly caught up. They ran towards the shoreline to find the Plankton already there, comfortably chatting away and laughing as if they'd had the easiest time capturing footage. Most of the Calamari stood near the shore with a very teary eyed Jules glaring at Liam.

"Ten minutes to spare," Chris laughed from the boat moored near the shoreline, "Ten minutes left, better find your missing players Squidfaces!"

* * *

 **Creepy Calamari**

* * *

"It's time to go Josh," Lucile sighed as she entered the clearing. Josh sat on the filth of the forest floor with a frown on his face with Kiara kneeling near him. She patted his shoulder and stood up walking to Lucile and exiting the clearing. Josh let out a defeated sigh and rose to his feet to join them.

A slow beeping filled his ears and he blinked just as he was about to leave. He turned finding the noise was getting louder. Seconds later the fox snout emerged from the den and dropped the beeping camera on the ground. Josh blinked and hurried over to it. He snatched it off the ground and held it up. It beeped for low battery before completely dying.

"It was still filming…" Josh trailed while his mouth opened in amazement. "IT WAS STILL FILMING!"

Jump Cut

The Cruise ship reminded everyone of just how filthy the outdoors were. Multiple people were covered in mud and Bebe looked like she had fallen out of a tree. Chris simply grinned at all of them probably thinking of all the footage his camera crew had managed to capture.

"Time to choose a team editor!" Chris announced while the teams began to murmur amidst themselves.

"Who has editing experience?" Yvonne asked while shaking their camcorder.

"I do," Nia replied in deadpan before having the camera thrust into her arms.

"Make it good!" Yvonne ordered.

"I'll make it worthy of academic study," Nia replied without changing her tone.

"I owe you guys for losing one of the cameras," Elsa commented while glancing at her teammates, "I'll edit our film."

"I want to use the footage in here," Josh piped up while hoisting the camcorder the fox had stolen into the air.

"You lose us this challenge, you go home!" Liam exclaimed while pointing at Josh threateningly.

"I'll edit our video!" Warren concluded while placing his hands on his hips.

"Really?" Raina asked with a surprised blink.

"Hey I do know documentaries, I could make paint drying look interesting!" Warren chuckled before being handed both his team's cameras.

"Okay then," Chris clapped, "You four can enter our recording studio, have those films ready for eight!"

The four teens chosen made their way towards the editing booth while staring at their cameras in excitement. Warren entered last and as he did he paused and looked left and right shiftily before closing the door behind him.

* * *

Passengers chatted in excitement, they wore their finest clothing and several held snacks in their hands. The theatre doors had just opened and they all walked into it with excitement lining their voices. They took all but the rear four rows which had been reserved for the teams and Chris McLean himself. Every other seat had a voting card with four columns and two options in each. Each member of the audience was to grade if they liked or disliked the film they were about to see. The teams had cleaned themselves up and watched the crowd enter curiously. One angry looking mother glared at Kiara and held up the scorecard giving the yellow team a negative point without even seeing their film. Kiara shrunk down in response and pouted.

The audience took some time to sit down but when they were seated Chris emerged onto stage and waved at them to much applause.

"Thank you all for taking part in tonight's challenge," Chris announced while broadening his grin, "Four films will be shown tonight and you're to rank each one either positively or negatively. To make it fun we'll be showing them in the order the teams came in last night. The Sinister Sharks will go first, followed by the Whimsical Whales, then the Creepy Calamari, and finally the Putrid Plankton. Now, enjoy the show!"

Chris then took his seat next to the Putrid Plankton and the first film began. Sweeping fields of grass from Raina's camcorder filled the screen. Long shots of forests, the establishment of nature, and birds fluttering from tree to tree filled the screen. The audience was entranced as they watched the caribou herd move slowly across the screen. Raina felt relief surge through her, all the footage in the first five minutes was hers. Bryce's didn't start until the seven minute mark. Close up shots that filled the boy with excitement. He definitely gained the upper hand when it came to the documentary. The close ups were entrancing the audience and it looked like that would continue, at least until the film decided to jarringly cut to the Caribou being chased away. The complete change of pacing drew everyone out of it, everyone except Raina who realized as it ended that more of her footage had been used than Bryce's. Clapping erupted as the film ended and the rest of the team joined in and clapped at Raina while Bryce pouted. He frowned and grabbed Warren by the shirt pulling him close.

"Why was that cut so jarring?!" He demanded angrily.

"I had to run through two camcorders of footage, I ran out of time," Warren replied innocently.

"Dude let it go," Phoebe commented and Bryce let his teammate go and slunk backwards into his seat while Warren glanced at Raina. She smiled back and they both returned their attention to the screen. A few seconds later however Warren lowered his gaze guiltily.

The next film was basically the opposite of the first. It opened with a grizzly bear at the river and quickly turned into twenty minutes of a bear trying to attack the Whimsical Whales while they screamed. The audience was definitely jarred by it and the entire Whale team glanced at Elsa before slinking down in their seats knowing full well the other camera had held the better footage. The bear continued to roar but even when it ended with a camera rolling off-screen some people clapped and laughed, probably enjoying it for the hilarious fear the entire team had been consumed by. The scratching of lead against paper followed, grades being given and no one on the red team knew what to think.

The third documentary opened with footage everyone had seen captured. All the way until the fox snatched the camera Liam held a cocky smirk on his face, but as soon as the fox did the camera switched automatically to night vision mode and they were treated to an inside look at all the things the fox had stolen. Hats, water bottles, toys, and even cell phones. Then the fox entered a low chamber and another fox greeted it accompanied by adorable baby foxes that began sniffing at the camcorder and drawing a deep "Aww" from the audience. Liam blinked in surprise and looked over at Josh. Josh looked back at Liam and let a smile crawl over his face. Liam shook his head and allowed a smile to cross his own before giving a mock salute and sitting back. A solid hour of film ended with clapping and the Putrid Plankton immediately sat upright. If the audience had enjoyed baby foxes then eaglets would be even better.

The film began with the eagles looking around, and it continued to show the eagles looking around. Nothing really happened. Then it switched shots and the water was held on for far too long before the eagle snatched up a fish. Every girl on the team blinked and turned to Nia who seemed to be the only audience member completely enthralled. The long held shots allowing a clear look at the bird before it moved were too common and members of the audience were falling asleep. Even the eaglets were failing to get a response. Every member of the Plankton was staring at Nia in frustration and confusion as to why she was enjoying the boring product she had turned their footage into. All that captured film they had been excited for was just wasted as shot after shot of slow moving, dreadfully boring film progressed made only worse by the fact they'd been sitting for over an hour now.

When the film ended the audience quickly departed leaving only Chris and the four teams. The host collected all the review cards and walked onto stage with a smile on his face. An intern counted and soon enough he had a paper handed to him.

"We had four nominees tonight," Chris explained while looking at the teams, "The jarringly cut Caribou, the angry bear, the baby foxes, and the boring eagles."

"What do you mean boring, researchers would pay top dollar for such shots," Nia commented.

"But audiences want excitement Nia!" Yvonne exclaimed while standing up. "If we lose so help me I will-"

"Only one team can win," Chris explained while gazing at the teams, "The winner of first class passage, an advantage in the next challenge, and free tickets to _The Action Commander_ starting right after this is…"

…

…

…

…

…

… The Creepy Calamari!" Chris concluded while the yellow team burst into cheers of excitement and applause. When they sat down Chris put his smile back on, "Coming in a close second are the Sinister Sharks!"

A low cheer filled the air from the blue team, one of relief more than excitement.

"But the big loser is…" Chris trailed while the Plankton and Whales grit their teeth and stared at him wide eyed. Chris' smile expanded exponentially as glares were shot at Nia and Elsa respectively. Chris held the silence until frustration began to boil in the Christmas coloured teams. Then when Yvonne had grown exasperated and sat down again he spat out, "The Putrid Plankton."

The green team let out a collective groan while the Whales gave deep sighs of relief and Elsa herself sat back, feeling rather faint.

"I'll see your glow in the dark butts at elimination," Chris stated while the three losing teams began to troop out. He put a smile back on and the theatre screen burst to life, "Calamari, enjoy your movie."

With that Chris departed as the lights dimmed and loud music began to play. Josh stood up and walked to the edge of the room intent on finding a washroom while deep drumbeats filled the air. He stepped outside and found the door pushed open behind him. Liam stood there and let the door shut again making the music faint.

"Sorry about… Everything," Liam apologized while rubbing the back of his head.

"Trust me, you were right to doubt me," Josh replied while putting on a smile, "We barely know each other, so snap decisions are kind of natural."

"Well, you won us the challenge, I won't forget that," Liam replied while pocketing his hands.

"Well that's only for today," Josh admitted while taking a step towards the bathroom.

"Hey, if we lose we have three pieces of cannon fodder before we have to think of that," Liam laughed before giving another mock salute and re-entering the theatre. Josh laughed as the door closed and made his way into the washroom.

* * *

The air was cold and biting when the Putrid Plankton walked across the deck and entered the elimination area. Chis was once again illuminated by the pool. The water sent dapples of blue light onto his face and made the girls on the Plankton feel on edge.

"Editing is everything," Chris commented, "It's how we make things on this show more dramatic than they really are, it's how marketing can fake people out, and it's the cause of a lot of laughs on viral video mixes."

"Well we all know who screwed that up," Yvonne commented while glaring at Nia.

"You guys picked me, perhaps if you wanted mindless imaginative nonsense you should have picked Sophie," Nia replied in complete deadpan.

"I see you ladies have some issues to sort out, how about I help by sending one of you adrift," Chris smirked while the girls glanced back and forth at one another. "It's time to vote."

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Perhaps if you didn't blame others for your failings we could have won," Nia comments while stamping Yvonne's passport.

"Spider killer," Anne mutters while stamping Nia's passport.

Yvonne angrily stamps Nia's passport, pauses to consider another stamp before dropping the stamper and walking out.

"I don't get how she could make baby birds boring," Nancy comments while crossing her arms and stamping Nia's passport.

Diane scratches her head while glancing between Yvonne and Nia's passports.

* * *

"The following contestants are safe," Chris began while picking up a mint, "Bebe…"

Bebe gave a sigh of relief as she received the first mint and glanced next to her where Anne sat.

"Anne," Chris continued while tossing the mahogany haired girl the second mint. His eyes then drifted to the rest of the Putrid Plankton, "Lara, Sophie, Zilka, Diane, and Nancy."

Each girl caught her respective mint and Yvonne immediately looked over at Nia and made a slitting throat gesture. Nia glared back certain her team would realize Yvonne was at fault for the slipup.

"The final mint goes to…" Chris trailed while glancing at the two girls. His mouth opened wide and he let out some air. "…

… Yvonne!" Chris concluded before tossing the mint to the former child star who glared smugly at Nia as she caught it.

Nia pursed her lips and stood up. Her nose went skyward and she walked towards the lifeboat with her lips pursed. She stepped in without another word and didn't even look at her team as Chris hit the line and sent her falling to the ocean below.

"Get some sleep," Chris smirked as he turned to the remaining members of the Plankton, "You'll need it."

"We are not coming back here again," Yvonne told her seven teammates while crossing her arms.

"Agreed," They all replied before turning and trooping out with Chris watching them and considering in his mind renaming them the Pathetic Plankton officially.


	3. Sushi Roll with the Punches

**Total Drama Ocean Cruise**

 **Chapter III: Sushi Roll with the Punches**

 **Written by The Firebending Frog**

* * *

Low snoring filled the men's side of the losing team cabin. All the guys from The Whimsical Whales and The Sinister Sharks slept peacefully, most of them had settled into pajamas, even if they didn't always sleep in them back home. Sleep had come poorly to some of the Sharks but in the early hours of the morning everyone was working off plenty of rest, something that would have continued had the intercom not crackled to life and introduced the loud sound of an air horn to the sleeping contestants.

Warren let out a yelp of surprise and fell right out of his bed while various guys in the cabin sat up and covered their ears while glaring at the intercom. Bryce's eyes snapped open one by one and Jason pulled his pillow over his face. The air horn lasted for way too long but when it faded Chris' voice emerged over the intercom with a laugh.

"Time to work fish faces!" He chuckled and the guys let out collective groans in response.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I need my sleep," Bryce mutters while rubbing his eye sleepily. "And we would have won yesterday, Chris said the contest was close, but Warren had to edit our documentary so Raina would have more footage. If he had just sucked it up and let me win we could have been in first class right now… BUT NOOOO!"

* * *

"At least our uniforms are clean," Roxie lamented as she pulled hers from her locker in the changing room. The scent of shampoos clung to the humid mist wafting around the room and the sound of blow driers erupted from the mirrors.

"Well, get used to it!" Lara replied as she fixed the cuffs on her green coded uniform, "I highly doubt this will be your only time back here."

"What are we doing anyway?" Raina asked while closing her locker and fixing her collar.

"You guys get housekeeping today," Lara smirked before trotting away and being followed by Anne. Raina exchanged a look with Roxie before sweeping her gaze across the rest of her team, the girls were still in the process of getting dressed so she slid over and put a hand on Roxie's shoulder.

"Well, if we're partnering up…" Raina trailed with closed eyes and a smile on her face.

"Sure, yeah, sounds good" Roxie replied through a half smile.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I am a complete neat freak," Roxie admits while trying to straighten her hair in an unseen mirror, "My room is kept tidy, my house is kept clean, and I cannot stand mice, germs, or roaches. I have a bad feeling that the passengers on this ship aren't the same way…"

* * *

"So I take bathroom and you take bedroom," Raina suggested as the two girls rolled the cleaning cart down the hallway. Most of the doors had signs reading _Do not disturb_ on the handle so searching for a room to clean was proving pretty fruitless. Only a few passengers had woken up let alone left their cabins, so the first room requesting housekeeping was pretty deep on the yellow carpeted floor.

A duo of knocks and no reply signalled that the passenger in room two hundred and fourteen was indeed gone, so the girls opened the door to find the bedroom in a pretty sour state. The resident had clearly gone for a late night swim and left his swim trunks to dry. They had dripped onto the carpet all night and whomever the guy was he didn't know about the bath mat because soap scented water was all over the bathroom floor.

"Man," Raina sighed while Roxie's eye twitched. She picked up the toilet scrubber and entered the bathroom while Roxie approached the sheets and checked them over for any signs of soiling. Sure enough the man staying in the room had sweat so much the night prior that the bedding was damp. Roxie stripped it down, plunged the bedding into a hamper, and began spraying air freshener on the bed while wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Raina meanwhile pulled the mop out and began sopping up the water all over the floor. Body hair lay stern around the toilet and Raina wasn't exactly sure if it was there because the guy was shedding or if The Putrid Plankton had just been that bad at cleaning the day prior. Either way she made quick work of the floor, wiped down the bathtub, and closed the lids on the guy's body wash and shampoo. When she returned to the main room she found Roxie fussing over small wrinkles in the bedding.

"We don't have to be that good," Raina chuckled causing Roxie looked up with a look of guilt.

"Sorry," She apologized while running a hand through her messy hair. Raina had to wonder how a girl so tidy managed to have such wild hair. It stuck out in every conceivable direction in sharp clumps that didn't seem to have any pattern. An odd sight, especially considering how wrinkle free Roxie's clothing was.

The girls quickly departed the room and rolled the cart down the hall looking left and right for any other rooms requiring service. Thankfully no one seemed to be in dire need of their services so they ended up leaning against the wall until a mother and two kids walked past. The woman paused upon seeing them and stopped dead in her tracks.

"Who lost last night?" She demanded.

"The green team, also known as The Putrid Plankton," Raina replied with a casual shrug, "The yellow team won if you're curious."

The mother frowned and narrowed her eyes the second that trivia left Raina's mouth. Her hand extended and snatched an evaluation form off the cart. A few scrawls of a pencil later and Roxie was handed the blue evaluation form that now boasted a perfect ten out of ten on it.

"I'm going to assume you're as good at cleaning rooms as you are getting us inside… Beat that yellow team today," She ordered before walking down the hallway with her two kids in tow. Raina and Roxie exchanged a look before shrugging and entering the room the family had just exited.

The process continued like that for quite some time. The girls would quickly clean a room, return to the hallway, and simply wait for the next guest to exit. Sometimes a bathroom would be in poor condition and sometimes it would be pristine. No matter what happened both girls would simply clean without question or pause. Raina had to reign in Roxie though, she hadn't lied about being a neat freak. If they had followed her schedule they'd still be pressing out wrinkles in their first room. With how few rooms were demanding housekeeping, Raina could only hope her teammates were just as committed to cleaning as Roxie was.

* * *

 **The Putrid Plankton**

* * *

The dining room was rather lively that morning and the instructions were rather clear, a buffet style breakfast was in order and the majority of the team was in the kitchen cooking pans of eggs, links of sausages, and pressing hash browns into ridiculous shapes that old couples laughed at and claimed were interesting.

Yvonne and Anne were out front seating people and clearing tables while the other six did their best to keep up with the emptying pans of food, something that was proving hard considering Zilka refused to touch anything taken from an animal.

"But each of those eggs could hatch," She protested as Lara tugged another carton from her hands.

"They're unfertilized genius," Lara growled before hoisting the carton into the air and pulling out an egg. It cracked against the pan and the innards spilled out and began sizzling while Zilka held her hand close to her chest and watched as Lara cracked egg after egg.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Even if they're unfertilized it still feels wrong," Zilka admits while letting out a sigh. "Chicks are absolutely adorable and every time I see an egg crack I can't help but feel like a life ended…"

* * *

"Just get back to your station and cook those hash browns before I-" Lara started before her eyes went wide. She dropped the carton and moved her pan of eggs off the burner before hurrying to Zilka's station where smoke was starting to smolder from the potatos. She began chipping at the browns with complete dismay coming over her face until she finally shifted the pan off the burner and turned it off. Her entire body shifted so it loomed over Zilka and her lips parted into a yell of absolute rage, "WHY IS IT STUCK TO THE PAN?!"

"Because… I didn't use butter to grease it," Zilka admitted while cringing at the look on Lara's face.

"THEN USE MARGARINE!" Lara exclaimed before grabbing Zilka and shoving her out of the kitchen roughly. The scrawny girl stumbled and Lara glared at her from the swinging door, "Go clean a table or something!"

Zilka let out an exhale and turned towards the dining room. She approached an abandoned table and began picking up half emptied glasses of juice, milk, and coffee. An evaluation card sat on the table listing their overall score as four out of ten and she picked this up with a frown and turned to deposit it into the evaluation box. As she did this Lara glared at her from the kitchen window and continued to scramble eggs.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Where I work people like Zilka are fired," Lara explains while hitting her fist into her palm. "I have a feeling she won't put her principles aside when it comes down to it. Total Drama is known for challenges that may go against her animal rights ethics. I think we should cut her loose before she causes us to fail, because we need all the help we can get at the rate we're dropping."

* * *

"Listen up gals, we need to look alive and win these people over, an advantage in the challenge today could mean avoiding the lifeboat of losers tonight," Lara explained while turning towards the four other girls in the kitchen, "Now that Nia's gone we're down two players, which could mean disaster for us if it's a survival challenge."

"Is the boat going to sink?!" Nancy asked in panic while smoke began to curl from the sausages in her pan.

"No, it means we're due for a challenge based around individual elimination. The Big Sleep, I see London, you get the drift," Lara replied as she shoved Nancy aside and blinked at the stovetop, "Why is your burner set to ten instead of five?!"

"Well I thought, since it takes eight minutes to cook at five heat that it would take four minutes to cook if it was at ten heat," Nancy replied while giving a genuine smile to Lara like she had just pulled off something spectacular.

"And you're banned from the kitchen as well!" Lara announced while grabbing Nancy's shoulder and shoving her towards the door, "Move it maggot!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Am I the only one here who actually knows how to cook?" Lara demands while staring at the camera with annoyed eyes, "Because if that's the case, winning these passengers over will be a lot harder than I thought!"

* * *

 **The Creepy Calamari**

* * *

Nadie drew in a deep breath as she exited her bedroom letting the scent of breakfast fill her nose. She gave a wide stretch and groaned as her stiff arms and back extended to their height. She then lowered her arms and gave a content sigh drawing in the scents of food again with a smile. That smile continued until the scent of something salty hit her nose and caused it to wrinkle up in disgust. She froze in place and glanced at the breakfast table finding Louise already there munching on a piece of toast with something black spread onto it.

"What are you eating?" She demanded while pointing at the gunk spread across the toast.

"Caviar," Louise replied while Nadie went wide eyed and sat down next to him. Judging by the bowl on the table Louise had been eating a lot more than what was on his current piece of toast. The guy seemed to be enjoying it too and had clearly been eating for a while. A weird mixture of food sat on the plates before him letting out contrasting scents and looking way too colourful to be appealing. An omelet sat half eaten in front of him with olives and soy sauce in it while salsa lay spread over pancakes as if they would go together.

"You like some strange foods don't you?" Nadie mused as she sat down.

"Oh yeah, dad's always moving around for his job and me and mom have come with him everywhere he's gone," Louise replied. "When you don't eat the same cuisine every morning you develop quite the range of taste."

"I think I'll pass," Nadie replied while eying the caviar rather awkwardly and trying to ignore the knowledge of what it really was, "Some mush and wild berries is all I need."

Nadie began pouring oatmeal into a dish and followed it with hot water from the coffee station while Louise continued to eat his rather absurd dishes with a smile on his face. The two were interrupted not long after by Jules, who entered the room with an excited look on his face. Both Nadie and Louise exchanged a look, rather thrown off by the boy's smile. He sat down and immediately frowned at the spread.

"OH COME ON!" He shouted.

"What's wrong?" Nadie asked in false curiosity as she stirred her porridge around.

"You'd think that if we're going to Japan, Chris could at least provide a Japanese styled breakfast," Jules explained with a matter of fact tone lining his voice.

"Who said we were going to Japan?" Nadie asked while exchanging a look with Louise, "If anything I'd think we'd stop in Russia first."

"I'm pretty sure there are corn flakes near the milk," Louise pointed out while dusting his hands off and picking up another slice of toast. He then spread caviar all over it and took another bite while Jules glared at him.

"That's not what they eat," Jules replied after blowing some hair out of his eyes, "They have rice, miso soup, some pickles, fish-"

"That sounds like lunch dude," Nadie interrupted before shoving the first spoonful of porridge into her mouth.

"Idiot! Japan isn't some cultureless wasteland like Canada or Alaska, it is rich in history and doesn't compromise. They shun western foods and embrace their own. I would know, I speak Japanese and know a lot about the culture," Jules exclaimed before crossing his arms and looking away from his tablemates with a snooty pout on his lips.

"Sure you do," Nadie replied in complete deadpan.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I'm fluent in English, French, Spanish, and basically all the languages stemming from the Latin root," Louise explains while waving his hand around, "I started Korean earlier this year but Japanese is about as understandable to me as brail is. I gotta give Jules props there, anyone who can speak a language I can't has my respect."

* * *

 **The Whimsical Whales**

* * *

"ARRRGH!" Ryan roared as he threw his mop on the wooden floor of the deck. Erin and Stephen exchanged a look as he did this before looking down again and continuing to mop up the bird poop, spilled smoothie, and vomit that coated the rear deck. Ryan stomped back and forth for a few seconds before picking up his mop again and trying to scrub the bird poop harder and harder. His teammates watched him work while trying not to make their staring too obvious. Ryan continued to have a temper tantrum before grabbing the mop tightly, putting on a face of absolute uncontrollable rage, and throwing it over the side of the ship. He panted for a few seconds before turning and storming away while swears and grumbles escaped his lips and his feet caused footfalls to echo all over the second deck. Erin and Stephen watched him go before exchanging another look.

"Temper on that one," Stephen commented as soon as he was certain Ryan was out of earshot.

"Kind of scary really," Erin agreed before stepping on the wet floor and promptly slipping. Stephen stopped for a second but Erin signalled that he was fine and picked himself up. Stephen strode over to the dried on bird guano and immediately plunged his mop into Ryan's bucket. He then lifted the mop out and slathered the water onto the poop. He repeated this several times until the poop was sitting in a puddle. He then returned to the purple smoothie on the ground and continued to clean it up. Erin worked beside him and accidentally tipped a bucket over. Water surged all over the area and Erin grimaced and looked at Stephen with worry.

"Let's use it while it's warm," Stephen suggested and they both began moving the spilled water about. Vomit and smoothie dissipated and even the bird guano came off. The two boys began cleaning the water up with wrung out mops and managed to make eye contact again.

"We nearly bit it last night huh," Erin commented.

"Oh yeah," Stephen nodded while continuing to swish his mop to and fro, "Though I'm not sure if I can entirely blame Elsa for it.

"She tried her best, I'll give her that," Erin responded before both boys had to step aside and let a couple pass. The two walked right through the area they had just cleaned and left dirty footprints behind them. Both boys scowled and got back to mopping without commenting on what had just occurred.

"We aren't going to stay afloat forever," Stephen admitted while his eyes drifted off the floor and back onto Erin, "Think you know who should go first?"

"I have no clue," Erin replied with a shake of his head, "We haven't really had anyone shine in a challenge yet."

"Only fail miserably," Stephen added, pausing in his cleaning and looking at Ryan's abandoned bucket, "But perhaps there's more than challenges at play here."

"How so?" Erin asked, also stopping to look at the bucket.

"Well, from what I can gather our work on the ship matters just as much as the contest itself," Stephen explained as he lifted his mop up, "Maybe we need to eliminate whoever gets the worst evaluation forms. I mean, if we hadn't won that second camera yesterday we wouldn't have had any footage at all."

"I think I'm picking up what you're throwing down," Erin grinned before a bunch of kids ran across their floor and dirtied it again. Stephen immediately slapped his forehead in response but before he could react the loudspeaker sparked to life and the voice of Chris McLean sounded over the ship.

"Good morning passengers, we'll be pulling into Tokyo Harbor this afternoon," Chris explained while Erin and Stephen exchanged a look.

"You'll be allowed to explore the city during our stop," Chris continued as the Putrid Plankton watched the loudspeaker with interest from the kitchen. Something caught fire while they did so.

"As for our competitors…" Chris trailed while Louise took another bite of caviar toast.

"Better bring your stomachs!" Chris laughed as Raina and Roxie paused in their bed making and exchanged a worried look.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I've never trusted Japanese cuisine," Roxie admits while crossing her arms, "Raw fish carries bacteria, parasites, and all sorts of greeblies."

* * *

"Welcome to Fu~Yujonroru," Chris announced like he didn't even understand what he was saying. The teams stood in the foyer of a quiet little Japanese restaurant with Chris in front of them shifting through cards trying to pick one he could at least pronounce. None of the tables were occupied but it was pretty easy to imagine what it would look like if it were. Candles would be lit and people would chatter while sitting on the cushions provided on the ground. A stout Japanese man had joined Chris and he was eying the thirty eight contestants with prying eyes. Chef and a couple of interns had set up an electronic board in the back that the teams stared at curiously. Chris scratched his head one final time before tossing his cards aside and clearing his throat, "But in English this restaurant is called Fushion Roll. It's a maki based restaurant run by Chef Hiroshi Yannadanna here."

The Japanese man waved despite the fact Chris had just butchered his last name.

"Your task today is to eat some of his more… experimental dishes," Chris laughed while grinning at the contestants, "I just so happened to volunteer all of you as taste testers."

"Experimental?" Liam asked while swallowing nervously. In general the entire Creepy Calamari team looked sick. Quite a few contestants had grown rather sickly looking at the prospect of sushi and the rawness that came with it but practically all the Calamari had this look on their face.

"The game will be divided into rounds. Each round one contestant from each team must completely eat and hold down four rolls of maki prepared by Hiroshi here," Chris explained while motioning to the chef next to him, "The first player to finish earns a point for their team, the first team to ten points wins first class passage to our next destination."

"Bring it on," Louise proclaimed triumphantly while planting his hands on his hips. Every member of his ill looking team stared at him with large degrees of hope in their eyes.

"To make things interesting the last player to finish the round will be eliminated from the challenge, and to add to that the team that loses all their players first or finishes last will be eliminating a player tonight," Chris continued. "If you throw up you'll also be eliminated, if a team runs out of players they automatically lose regardless of any points they may have earned prior. Now, pick your first volunteers."

"Louise, can you stomach anything this guy can cook up?" Nadie asked while looking at Louise rather worriedly. "I CANNOT do raw fish."

"Yes, but I can't eat anything with Shrimp, Crab, or Lobster in it," Louise replied while looking at the rest of the Creepy Calamari. His eyes fell on Jules and he patted the kid's shoulder with a smile. "Thankfully we have a translator."

"I know Japanese," Jules nodded boldly. "I could teach you a few words if you-"

"Zip it weeb, just tell Louise if anything has crab in it," Liam ordered while giving Jules the evil eye.

"Our first dish, Chef Hiroshi," Chris grinned as Hiroshi stepped forward.

"I have prepared a simple roll containing Unagi and Sakana no Tamago," The chef explained while placing a dish at four coloured placemats. Four rolls sat on each plate and Louise looked at Jules in response. Jules nodded so Louise put on a smile and moved to the yellow placemat.

"I'll try it," Phoebe shrugged before taking a seat at the blue mat.

Lara followed her and took her position on the green mat before being joined by Wilma from the Whimsical Whales.

"Oh and before we begin," Chris announced before motioning to the screen. The yellow and Blue point markers rose from zeroes to twos putting the Sharks and Calamari ahead by two points already, "For coming in first and doing a good job cleaning rooms."

Raina and Roxie immediately high fived while Chef Hiroshi raised his hand.

"BEGIN!" He shouted before each contestant picked up a piece of the sushi prepared for them. Louise tossed a piece in his mouth like it was nothing while Phoebe quickly shoved a piece in her own just to keep up with him. Wilma picked up a piece and bit into it before going wide eyed and covering her mouth while Lara sniffed the roll and wrinkled her nose.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"For the team…" Lara states with her eyebrows at height and her eyes wide. "Just do it for the team…"

* * *

Louise didn't slow down after his initial bite, he and Phoebe quickly worked through the rolls on the plate while Lara struggled through the dish and Wilma continued to chew on the first piece with a look of disgust growing on her face. The race for the finish ended when Louise swallowed the last of his food and opened his mouth wide to show he was done. Chef Hiroshi snapped his fingers and the Calamari score went up to three. Phoebe was a close second while Lara choked down what was left on the plate and grimaced before opening her own mouth.

"And Wilma is out!" Chris exclaimed. The muscular girl quickly spat what was in her mouth out and gagged before everyone stood up and the plates were replaced by small rolls with a green pepper in the center and what looked like ground beef surrounding it.

"I call this the Harapenyo Roll, it contains Gyuniko and serves as a palette cleanser. I based it off the cuisine of Mexico," Hiroshi explained while the contestants looked at the dish before them.

Once again Louise stepped forward followed quickly by Phoebe who seemed intent on getting back at Louise. Lara shoved Diane forward while Elsa exhaled deeply and followed them. All four contestants sat down and eyed one another. Louise spared no time and took a bite from the first roll. His eyes lit up and he chewed on it happily. Phoebe narrowed her own eyes and picked up one herself. She bit into it as well and her face immediately flushed from the heat of the roll. Hiroshi and Chris seemed to be having fun with her reaction and the two fist bumped at the first sign of discomfort. Diane stared at Phoebe's face before looking down at her own food with nerves wracking her body. Elsa inhaled deeply and tossed an entire roll in her mouth and nearly collapsed from the heat. The three girls competing with Louise struggled with the spice but the multilingual boy finished before any of them had even struggled through their second roll. The Calamari score went up from three to four and Phoebe narrowed her eyes and quickly crammed the remaining three rolls in her mouth and chewed on them with steam practically erupting from her ears. Elsa was teary eyed but was moving decently while Diane continued to take tentative bites. Within seconds the contest was over and Diane dropped her roll eliminated from the game.

"My next dish is made from Mekajiki sided with abakodo and Aisubaguretasu," Hiroshi explained while sixteen rolls were uncovered containing small blocks of fish, slices of green, and some kind of lettuce. Jules didn't say anything so Louise immediately seated himself at his mat again. Bryce stepped forward instead of Phoebe and grinned at Louise with extreme confidence filling his face. Nancy was pushed forward by Lara and she stumbled up to the seat while Deek shook his head in response to several looks so Brad walked forward instead.

Louise took off by taking the first roll into his mouth and Bryce followed him not about to be outdone by a guy without any muscles. but immediately his face fell. Unfortunately the texture of raw fish made his gut fall and his eyes go wide. Nancy poked at the sushi and put her hand in the air claiming her food was undercooked while Brad messily shoved the rolls in his mouth with rice and bits of avocado falling onto the plate. He powered through the dish while Bryce slumped downwards looking sick to his stomach.

"DONE!" Brad exclaimed while opening his mouth.

"Eat all of it," Hiroshi odered while pointing at the mess of rice and vegetables on the plate before Brad.

"Done," Louise repeated while opening his mouth. The yellow score went up from four to five and while Brad quickly picked up grains of rice and stuffed them into his mouth one by one. Nancy kept poking her uneaten food and Bryce was groaning sickly.

"Okay, Bryce and Nancy are eliminated," Chris announced while the respective teams groaned. Bryce seemed happy to be excused and Nancy just huffed as if she had been cheated out of something.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I should have known that was a bad idea," Lara sighs while hitting her forehead with an open palm.

"Man am I glad I've seen the anime Shefu Sakura," Jules admits while sitting back, "She cooks so many traditional dishes. Anything this guy can throw out I can translate."

* * *

"The next dish is pan fried Koi sided with raw Tsuna," Hiroshi explained as the rolls were put out. One side contained raw fish while the other had cooked fish, "I call them Yin and Yang rolls."

Louise took a look at Jules, who gave a thumbs up, before approaching the table and sitting down again. Phoebe inhaled deeply and seated herself down right next to him. Stephen joined them a second later before Anne knelt down at the final cushion.

Phoebe began eating immediately, quick chewing and following that up with equally quick swallows. Louise picked up the pace to keep up with the athletically built blonde while Anne quite randomly began to outpace them, devouring the entire plate before either could really react. They stared at Anne in shock as she finished before either of them and opened her mouth scoring a point for her team. The two exchanged a look before scarfing down what was left in front of them and leaving Stephen in the dust. The Whimsical Whale eater wasn't even disgusted by the dish and yet he was left eliminated anyway.

"GO ANNE!" Lara cheered while the green zero quickly turned into a one.

"My Supagetti roll is a new creation," Hiroshi explained as the next dish was put down. Instead of rice large noodles clung to the exterior of the seaweed and what looked like meatballs sat in the center of the roll. A drizzling of garlic scenting marinara sauce wafted from the dish and Lara immediately patted Anne on the back. The redhead took her seat again, followed quickly by Louise and Phoebe. Ryan stepped forward last and the four contestants eyed one another for a mere second before digging in. Anne was once again a quick eater and her competition had to struggle to keep up. Ryan's hands slipped and his first roll fell from his hands and onto the plate where it splattered sauce onto his shirt. His nostrils flared in response and he immediately flipped the plate over causing the rolls to splatter all over the table. Anne, Phoebe, and Louise paused to stare at him before Anne once again finished and the other two closely followed her. The green one turned into a two and Anne shot her hands into the air. While everyone else stood up she remained seated and Lara gave her a thumbs up from the side.

"We're seriously sucking out here!" Elsa exclaimed while stomping her foot, "Can anyone beat those three?"

"I'm not fast," Erin responded while tapping his fingers together.

"Well you may as well try!" Elsa exclaimed before the next batch of rolls was put down.

"My mango rolls are part of a line of dessert rolls I am testing out, I hope you will enjoy," Hiroshi smiled while Erin stumbled forward with his lips contorted into a pout and joined Louise and Phoebe at the table. The roll was nothing but seaweed and rice surrounding a small circle of fruit. Erin could only watch helplessly as his competition rushed forward at lightning speed and began gobbling down the sweet rolls. He had finished the first piece when Anne opened her mouth again and scored again for her team. Phoebe and Louise weren't far behind her leaving the boy stunned and silent. Deek, Natalie, Gabriel, and Jason all looked at Elsa who rubbed her arm nervously. She was nudged forward by Natalie just as Hiroshi uncovered his next roll.

"Miruwamu," He proclaimed as a small cylinder of protein sided by iceberg lettuce and bits of mango was unveiled.

"What's that?" Anne asked as Louise, Elsa, and Phoebe sat down next to her.

"Mealworm," The chef proclaimed causing Anne's eyed to widen, "And begin."

The insect roll wasn't bad at all. Phoebe actually paused to smile and make a noise reminiscent of satisfaction while Anne stared horrified at the dish before her.

"Come on Anne!" Lara shouted. "You can do it!"

"I can't!" Anne exclaimed while swallowing uncomfortably.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"We bought mealworms once to feed my ant colony back home, I got attached and ended up keeping them as pets. I can't eat my pets!" Anne exclaims while despair runs through her voice.

* * *

"And done," Louise announced while opening his mouth. Elsa and Phoebe weren't far behind which left Anne to be eliminated. She clamped her mouth shut and turned around with her head hung low. Bebe patted her back before Lara slapped her hand away with a glare.

"This next roll is simply Uni sided with ginger root and some wasabi for an extra kick," Hisoshi announced while Phoebe sat down with Louise and Elsa.

"If you want something done right, do it yourself," Lara huffed before joining her competition. Phoebe felt her stomach rumble and looked down at it with worry as the dish was put in front of her.

"Maybe I was eating too fast," She admitted before Hiroshi signalled them to start. Her stomach churned again and she dropped the piece of sushi in her hand while groaning. Louise glanced at her but didn't cease eating. Phoebe groaned and felt bile rise in her throat. She covered her mouth and stood up, rushing towards the nearest bathroom while her competition finished the dish.

"Another point for the Creepy Calamari," Chris announced to the team's delight and their number rose from six to seven in response.

"My next dish is inspired by the cuisine of the English," Hiroshi explained before four plates were placed on the table again, "Ohyo served with jagaimo."

"Phoebe did a lot of work guys, let's not waste it," Raina sighed while gazing at her teammates.

"I don't know Raina, I don't exactly like raw fish, let alone experimental cuisine," Warren admitted while his teammates likewise scratched the backs of their heads.

"I might get sick," Roxie agreed.

"And I have no idea if this place meets health code regulations," Trevor nodded causing Raina to sigh and put on a look of confidence.

"Then I'll take this one!" Raina announced before approaching the table. She was joined by Sophie from the Plankton and Jason from the Whales. Louise snickered and Hiroshi waved his hand to signal them to begin. Louise immediately pulled ahead while Raina took one bite of the dish and felt raw fish squish around her teeth. Her cheeks bloated as vomit rose up in her throat and with a heavy gag she threw up all over the plate. Louise was done eating by the time she finished throwing up and she sat back and groaned while a woozy feeling overcame her body.

"Hah, it's going to take a miracle for you guys to win now that Phoebe's gone!" Louise chuckled while Raina frowned and looked down. She walked back to her team in shame and apologized as she walked past.

"I'm not doing it," Olga announced while Warren watched Raina hurry to the bathroom, "No way, no how."

"I'll do it!" Warren exclaimed while balling his fists and narrowing his eyes at Louise. He breathed heavily as he walked forward and sat down at the pillow. His fists slammed down on the table as he seated himself and a confident frown came over his face, "Whatever it is I'll eat it!"

"Kuraunfisshu rolls with wild sushi rice," Hiroshi replied as Louise, Jason, and Lara joined Warren.

"Good luck," Louise snickered before digging in. Warren narrowed his eyes in response and took the first piece in his mouth. He immediately cringed at the feeling of raw fish on his tongue. Louise finished quickly, so did Lara. As soon as the Creepy Calamari score rose Louise turn and grinned at Warren as Jason reached the final piece. Warren panted for a few seconds before narrowing his eyes. He began speed eating and quickly bypassed Jason, downing piece after piece. He swallowed and cringed before opening his mouth and coughing. Jason walked away, eliminated, while the scoreboard lit up. Two points for The Sinister Sharks, nine points for The Creepy Calamari, zero for The Whimsical Whales, and three for The Putrid Plankton.

"I guess I win," Louise laughed as he stood up.

"Our next dish is Atlantic Robusuta served with chunks of bread seasoned with garlic," Hiroshi explained.

"Do you got this?" Jules asked while looking down at Louise.

"Oh I got this," Louise chuckled before turning around and sitting down next to Warren. A wicked grin spread across his face and Warren looked down in response swallowing the saliva that had built up in his throat. Lara and Gabriel soon joined them and Hiroshi signalled for them to begin. Warren took a bite of the first piece and shuddered head to toe at the feeling of whatever Atlantic robusuta was sliding down his throat. Louise finished his first piece immediately and laughed at Warren's expense.

"I hope the Whales continue to suck, just so your efforts will at least be rewarded," Louise snickered while Warren narrowed his eyes and let out a roar before picking up his next roll. Louise began eating again but suddenly felt worry fill him as the shuddering and gagging boy next to him began to pick up speed. They were suddenly neck in neck and with the final pieces in both their mouths Warren shuddered, swallowed and opened his before Louise. The number nine remained on the board while The Sharks suddenly matched the Plankton in score.

"I did it!" Warren exclaimed while standing up and being cheered on by his team.

"Oh you may have won this… this round… but… but…" Louise started before falling over and beginning to gag on the floor.

"Um…" Jules started while pointing at Louise.

"Medic!" Chris called without any trace of concern lining his voice.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"So apparently Robusuta is lobster…" Jules trails while scratching the back of his head and laughing nervously, "Never… Never seen that used in Shefu Sakura… Not that she cooks much anyway, it's more of a romance anime… Heh…"

* * *

"I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU SPOKE JAPANESE!" Nadie shouted while glaring at Jules.

"I do… at least what I hear in Anime anyway," Jules replied while holding his hands up defensively, "I guess I've never heard anyone say lobster before."

"Well then, better hope you have a strong stomach!" Nadie exclaimed before kicking Jules backwards. He stumbled and stopped right next to the counter where Warren, Lara, and Elsa were sitting.

"Our next dish is fisshuai," Hiroshi stated while unveiling a collection of plates with Fish eyes in the center of their rolls. Jules immediately threw up without even tasting it. The other three began eating and Warren managed to choke his down fastest. The blue number three flashed into a four when this happened.

The next roll contained fried grasshopper, something Kiara couldn't stomach. She was retching on the plate while Warren held his up in the air and the Sharks earned their fifth point. After that thousand year egg, a popular food from China, caused Lucile to fall backwards and Warren to become certain the taste would stick to his tongue for a thousand years. No matter the dish the Creepy Calamari members seemed incapable of stomaching it. Even slow eaters like Bebe and Natalie could come ahead of them while Warren powered ahead dish after dish, his eye twitching with every meal that passed his lips and made his nerves shudder. Bubba dry heaved, Frank covered his nose while trying to eat jellyfish, and Stewart simply turned and waked away without a word. Then with a ding the Blue number nine turned into a number ten and Warren fell backwards groaning from all the food he'd just eaten while his team cheered and rushed him.

"Um, we still have more points than The Whales, right? So we can't come last, right?" Josh asked with an innocent smile that made Chris burst into laughter.

"Hey, believe what you want bro," Chris chuckled as Josh glanced at the number nine with a sigh. Unfortunately the dish was completely comprised of mint and he slumped on the table groaning while Elsa scored her team's first point and he was eliminated. Despite having nine points Chris officially announced the Creepy Calamari were that week's big losers and Josh bashed his head against the table and groaned in response.

"Warren," Chris announced after the scoreboard had been wheeled away. "You have won your team first class passage to our next destination, an advantage in the next challenge, and a five star, five course, Japanese meal to be served to you tonight."

"Yay," Warren cheered before slumping into Olga's arms and groaning loudly.

"And Calamari, I'll see you guys at elimination tonight where one of your sorry butts will be sent afloat," Chris grinned while pointing at the yellow team. Practically every eye zeroed in on Jules who rubbed his arm and began to awkwardly laugh in response.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Pssh, should've known a bunch of uncultured rubes would target me first," Jules laments while blowing some hair out of his eyes, "They'd know Japanese if they just watched an anime or two.

* * *

"Now this is more like it," Renee laughed as teriyaki chicken served atop a bed of shredded cabbage was put in front of her.

"Nothing weird tonight," Phoebe agreed while sipping some Miso soup out of a small cup. The two girls laughed together and began to dig into the food being served. The rest of the team join them, though Roxie prodded at her food a little suspiciously, almost like she expected to turn the tempura over and discover the yams were completely raw. As the team laughed and passed dishes around the table Raina pushed her seat back and slunk out of the room without drawing much attention. She approached one of the bedroom doors and gave a light knock before prying it open. The light cast dimly across the bedroom and illuminated Warren lying on his bed.

"Feeling alright?" Raina asked while her teammate drew his arm off his face.

"I'm fine," Warren replied while forcing a smile onto his face.

"The prize you won us just arrived," Raina stated while motioning with her eyes to the main room.

"I think I'll pass," Warren replied before rubbing his belly, "I think I've had enough foreign cuisine for one contest. Heh…"

"Well… Join us if you feel any better," Raina smiled after looking at the ground for a few seconds, "You did win us this prize after all."

"Oh that…" Warren chuckled before falling silent.

"And Warren…" Raina trailed drawing his eyes again, "Thanks…"

With that Raina shut the door and returned to her other teammates who were chanting as Olga downed an entire glass of scalding miso soup while laughter filled the air. Raina joined them when she sat down, though after a few seconds her eyes shifted back to Warren's door and her smile dropped into a frown. She silently wished he would join them.

* * *

The Tokyo Skyline vanished into the distance as the _S.S McLean_ set sail again and the wind intensified into a howl. The night was warm and a few passengers leaned against the rails and watched the Japanese shore shrink behind them. A lot of them had spent the day visiting landmarks and museums and a number of them now owned shirts, hats, and gift store items from those places. A large group of passengers watched the footage from the Alaskan challenge while laughing at the misfortune of the Whimsical Whales. The bear roared and shook the tree while Elsa screamed and dropped her camera. The audience was so occupied they didn't notice ten figures slink past them to a bunch of interns blocking off the rear deck. One by one the members of The Creepy Calamari entered the elimination area and for the first time laid eyes on Chris McLean illuminated by the pool lights. Ripples in the water caused his face to become dappled in various tones of blue.

The team didn't know if they could sit anywhere so they simply seated themselves at the edge of the pool while their low lit host looked them over with careful and expressionless eyes. When they'd all settled into place he finally spoke.

"By episode three people aren't exactly picking favorites yet," Chris explained while his eyes drifted across every member of the team, "But what they will do is pick up on trends. They probably noticed that The Sinister Sharks have won twice, or that the Putrid Plankton have lost twice. This game is far from individual and yet you guys seem to be placing your faith in individuals. First you leave everything to Kiara in Vancouver, then you leave everything to Josh in Alaska, and now you left everything to Louise in Japan. Seems your team strategy finally cracked."

Every member of the Creepy Calamari looked at the person next to them and frowned heavily before lowering their gaze.

"You guys are a team, and every time one of you screws up royally you will be back here as a team. I suggest you all start working as one when you choose to cast a player off tonight," Chris suggested with a grave tone in his voice. "It's time to vote."

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Who else would I vote for?" Louise asks while stamping Jules' passport.

"You messed up," Liam states before stamping Jules' passport.

Jules scratches his head while glancing between the various passports in front of him.

"They do say the first votes are the easiest," Kiara shrugs before stamping Jules' passport.

Stewart silently stamps Jules' passport while never breaking eye contact with the camera.

* * *

"The following players are safe," Chris announced while sweeping his gaze across the campers, "Bubba…"

"Thanks bro," Bubba smiled as the mint landed in his hand.

"Frank," Chris continued while tossing the mint to the skinny Calamari player, "Josh, Kiara, Lucile…"

All three contestants caught their mints with smiles while Chris turned to the rest, "Louise, Nadie, and Stewart…"

Liam blinked and glanced at Jules before looking at Chris.

"Seriously?" He asked in complete deadpan.

"I second that," Chris agreed. "Seriously?"

"What do you want from me?!" Jules demanded while standing up and flinging his arms in the air. He probably would have continued shouting if Chris hadn't cleared his throat and caused the boy to fall silent.

"The final Mint of the night goes to…" Chris trailed while looking over the two players. Jules narrowed his eyes and Liam rolled his. Chris lifted the mint and opened his mouth wide, "…

…

… Liam," Chris concluded while tossing the mint across the pool into Liam's hands. Jules immediately blew some of his hair out of his face while frowning heavily, "Lifeboat of losers is thataway!"

"Thanks for nothing…" Jules growled while standing up and stalking towards the lifeboat. He stepped in and turned to continue a rant but found his teammates already leaving. He blinked once before sitting down with a huff and blowing hair out of his face again. He didn't say a word as Chris released the line and he fell to the water below with a splash. The Creepy Calamari walked out of the elimination area, nine shadows on the wall illuminated by footage of Raina and Warren in the mud. The Japanese shoreline continued to vanish behind them and the moon shone on the water below. Despite someone being kicked off, not much had changed. The passengers didn't even notice the Calamari had walked past, or that the boat had just become one passenger lighter.


	4. Korean Pop Sensation

**Total Drama Ocean Cruise**

 **Chapter IV: Korean Pop Sensation**

 **Written By The Firebending Frog**

* * *

The oatmeal that splattered into Louise' bowl was half cold and seemed to have taken on a new definition of smelly. As if the early wakeup call and uncomfortable beds hadn't been enough, now he had to eat slop made in giant pasta pot that probably hadn't been cleaned since it was first put on camp Wawanakwa.

"Why you looking so glum, it's edible!" Chef shouted before proceeding to hit Louise on the head with the ladle he was using to serve. The boy rubbed his head in response and gave out a sigh before returning to one of the grimy tables near the bottom of the ship.

Cargo sat around them and it was abundantly clear the makeshift kitchen had been set up last minute. Overloaded plugins crackled and popped while the rocking of the boat made several people waver around woozily. The Putrid Plankton and Whimsical Whales were starting to get used to it, but after a day of first class the basement kitchen was a new level of crappy.

"I hate this place," Stewart announced as Louise sat next to him. "It's cold, dark, and makes you feel sick… Just like my stepmom."

"Well unless we solve our issues right away we'll just end back in here again," Kiara replied while lifting a spoonful of the beige gunk into the air and giving it a tentative sniff that made her dry heave in response.

"Well we won once, we can do it again," Frank replied before Liam began laughing.

"I'm sorry but we didn't win, Josh won when by sheer luck we happened to capture something cool," Liam chuckled before leaning on the table. "Let's face it, our real track record is one last place finish and one third place finish. Not exactly The Sinister Sharks when it comes to placements in this game."

"Well, how about we change that starting today," Frank announced while standing up and looking his team over, "We need to win the advantage in today's challenge!"

"Um, sorry to break it to you, but the people on this ship hate us," Stewart replied with a huff and crossed arms. "Just like my stepmom."

"I agree," Kiara sighed, "We have to face the fact that we're not well liked and focus our energy elsewhere. We need to work as a team when the challenge arrives or else none of us will survive to see the individual game begin."

"So are we just going to stop trying when it comes to working?" Liam asked before smirking, "Because I can live with that."

"Not exactly what I meant," Kiara replied with a deep exhale, "If we stop working Chris might put a penalty on us."

"Yeah, I highly doubt that," Liam replied while rising to his feet, "If we're just going to pamper a bunch of spoiled brats for no reason I'd rather take a nap."

"No! That's not what I meant!" Kiara exclaimed before Liam turned and walked away. The remaining eight players glanced at one another before Stewart, Bubba, Louise, and Nadie joined him. Each one rose to their feet and exiting the room leaving Kiara, Frank, Josh, and Lucile behind.

"Way to go Kiara," Frank growled while Kiara grinned nervously at him.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I didn't mean they should leave!" Kiara exclaims before sighing and slapping her forehead repeatedly.

* * *

"AHHHHHH!" One of the boys shrieked before body slamming his brother and causing the other boy to burst into tears. Kids scurried all around the room screaming their lungs off and throwing things at one another. What had started out calm had quickly descended into chaos. A little Brunette with glasses was scribbling on the wall when Natalie snatched the crayon from her.

"Settle down, settle down," She ordered while looking back and forth between the dozen kids that had been dropped off in the play center. It was basically a prison parents shoved their little brats into whenever they wanted to go pig out at the buffet, and things had quickly descended into chaos when the Richardson boys had arrived. The twins had quickly kicked over dollhouses, hit Sally with a soccer ball, and broken Billy's glasses without any remorse whatsoever. They were in the process of tossing one kid's crumpled up drawing back and forth while he cried between them when Natalie finally made her way to the duo.

"Knock it off!" She demanded but Johnny Richardson just reached up and grabbed her hair tugging it as hard as he could while his brother kicked her shin so hard she fell to the ground.

"DOG PILE!" Johnny screamed before every kid in the room body slammed onto Natalie and winded her immediately.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

Natalie is absolutely disheveled in appearance and pulls a sharpened pencil crayon out of her arm while cringing. Her eyes then direct at the camera and she bares her teeth angrily, "I _hate_ kids…"

* * *

"Ow, ow, get off! GET OFF!" Natalie shrieked as the kids laughed atop her and a sandaled foot entered her mouth. Just as she was about to let out an ear piercing scream the door opened and Elsa entered it dressed up in the most ridiculous outfit possible, a giant mascot whale that she could barely see out of. Frank Richardson gasped and stood up pointing at her the second she entered.

"KILL IT!" He shouted while Elsa took a careful step back.

"NO! NOT AGAIN!" She shrieked before all twelve kids gave chase brandishing rulers, pencil crayons, and scissors while screaming their lungs off.

"Ow," Was all Natalie could muster when they got off her. She knelt up with her legs trembling and her eyes quivering from tears of pain. She sat up and felt her spine crack painfully. She then rose to her feet and groaned while clutching her back. She had just stood up when the door was pushed open and an angry looking mother loomed in the doorway with pursed lips and narrowed eyes.

"I saw my boys running with scissors!" She shouted while storming up to Natalie and brandishing a finger at the Brunette's throat, "What have you been encouraging in my angels?!"

"It wasn't me!" Natalie exclaimed before entering a quick stammer. "It was Elsa, she came in here and… and… convinced them to roughhouse. They were prefect angels until that Mrs. Richardson, I promise!"

Natalie bit her lip as Mrs. Richardson looked her over with a devilish frown on her face. The portly woman had sunglasses in her hair and a tank top on. A gross sunburn ran all over her exposed skin with the exception of the spot her sunglasses would sit. How she had managed to get such a bad burn in only four days was beyond Natalie but it was there anyway.

"Oh, you've been through so much," Mrs. Richardson smiled after a few seconds, "Here take a full ten on your evaluation… Just make sure to kick that Elsa off as soon as you can."

"Will do ma'am…" Natalie chuckled nervously before the woman turned and trotted out. She let out a sigh of relief as the door closed and took a seat on one of the beanbag chairs.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"What?" Natalie demands while staring at the camera, "You've seen her, she's crazy! I couldn't just let her scream at me! It's not like Elsa will find out anyway."

* * *

"That's the spot," Phoebe sighed in pure delight as her back was rubbed by the first class masseuse. After spending a day out of first class it was like a dream come true. She wasn't alone either. Raina and Renee also sat in the room waiting their turn for a full back pounding that they'd seldom get out of the competition, let alone in it.

"Don't get too relaxed on us," Raina chuckled from her position at the side of the room, "I have a feeling we'll need those muscles of yours sooner rather than later."

"Relax," was Phoebe's nonchalant response, "you have Olga, and there are still ten of us."

"The Whales also have ten players," sighed Raina while her hand went to her chin and her foot began to shake, "I'm not going to feel confident about our power as a team until The Whales lose a member."

"They would have lost yesterday if Jules could actually speak Japanese," Renee replied while moving her pencil across the sketchbook clutched in her hands. The visage of Phoebe's posing on the massage bed was being captured through a series of scribbles. Renee hadn't even looked down at it once, something Raina found a little odd to say the least.

" _Would have_ is the key phrase here," Raina replied. "As team leader I'm taking it upon myself to figure out how our foes tick."

"And" Phoebe asked, curious as to where this was going.

"I'm pretty sure Lara is the leader of the Putrid Plankton, her intervention in the challenge yesterday made them score three consecutive points, something I didn't expect from the team," Raina explained while recalling the events from the day prior and replaying them in her head.

"But then she had Anne sit down before the meal was revealed and that got her eliminated from the challenge," Phoebe pointed out while hoisting her head upwards so she could look Raina in the eye. "I think you're overthinking things a little too much."

"Lara will correct her team's mistakes. She seems like a player who gets stronger the more she loses. Just watch, the second she sluffs off her team's more… Useless members, she'll be a threat," Raina proudly explained while Renee stopped sketching for a mere second and glanced at her.

"If you say so captain," Phoebe shrugged. She probably would have said more but at that very moment the door was flung open and all three girls were greeted with the visage of Helden in nothing but a towel

"I am here for the magical hands!" He proclaimed in his thickly accented voice while Raina and Renee stared at his scrawny yet muscular build and Phoebe lowered herself down so her breasts were hidden from sight again.

"DUDE!" She exclaimed while staring at Helden with a mixture of horror and disgust.

"Oooh, knowledge of the firsthand," Helden giggled while clapping his hands together, "Would you say her hands are of the druid's or the sorceress'?"

"Get lost man!" Phoebe ordered while pointing her finger at the door with rage lining her face.

"Ah, you hog the magic for yourself," Helden gasped while holding a hand to his barren chest. "That is the most rude of things I say, I do."

"Okay buddy, let's go find the… um… Mystic seagull of wisdom… for today's challenge," Raina stated while grabbing Helden's hand and pulling him out of the room.

"Oh goodie!" Helden giggled before the door shut and Phoebe was allowed to relax again.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I'm not picky but…" Phoebe trails before lowering her eyes again, "The first dude to see me naked won't be Helden."

* * *

"I hate this show more every morning," Lara announced as she stuffed a load of linens into the dryer. The rest of The Putrid Plankton did similar things all around her, stuffing the towels, bedding, and a solitary pair of drapes into washing machines. Anne and Diane had taken to folding the towels due to their similar experiences in clothes stores while everyone else took care of the walls of machines.

As soon as the load was started Lara began prowling down the aisle watching her teammates and looking for any slackers. She wanted that advantage in today's challenge and everyone had to do their part. The cleaner the towels Yvonne and Bebe dropped off were, the higher their grades would be. Anne and Diane had shut up a while ago and now folded clothes silently under Lara's watchful eye while Zilka and Nancy dealt with urine scented linens, applying bleach where necessary. The only one unaccounted for was Sophie. She had vanished to go grab another cart of towels ages ago and should have been back by now.

Lara prowled down towards Sophie's workstation. She'd been the least productive of the team so far, seeming distracted and distant, getting caught in daydreams that would have her fired in the real world. Lara knew the type. She had caught coworkers in the freezer texting their boyfriends after wistfully staring off into the distance with love-struck eyes. She didn't become manager at _Kim's Ice Cream Parlor_ by not reporting slackers. Sophie was a dreamer alright. Her mind in the clouds at every hour of every day. She'd noticed the wistful daydreaming during the Alaskan challenge. Sophie had taken to sitting on fallen logs and staring at nothing while the rest of them worked to catch footage.

The linen carts were at the far end of the hall and Lara approached them with a scowl etched on her face. She stepped around the corner and glanced left and right for the girl she was hunting. Her feet echoed on the floor as she passed empty linen carts that had been haphazardly emptied. Sophie had been here alright but halfway through her work she had decided to bugger off. The sound of paper against paper signalled where she was.

Lara took several steps forward before turning her head to the side and catching Sophie sitting between two laundry carts with a novel on her lap and her light brown hair tied back messily. The glasses on her face reflected Lara's eyes and she spread her mouth into a nervous grin at the sight of her.

"I have caught people texting on shift but never reading. I'll at least compliment you for being original," Lara growled before holding her hand out and motioning upwards with the bend of a finger. Sophie rose to her feet and Lara held her hand out with pursed lips. Sophie looked down before handing the novel over. Seconds later Lara raised it and hit her teammate on the head with the heavy book. Sophie rubbed her head and pursed her lips before slinking away while Lara glared at her little ponytailed head.

"Books for brains," Lara spat with venom lining her voice. Sophie simply returned to the linen cart and quickly filled it before hurrying away. Lara glared at her as she went and followed her out. She paused near the washing machines and watched as Sophie got back to work. Then her gaze shifted sideways and fell on the machine next to her. Without changing her facial expression she opened the door and tossed the distraction inside. She slammed it shut and turned on the cycle rather automatically. Water flooded the chamber and the machine began to spin while Lara watched it. The book began to thump around inside and without changing face Lara turned away and rejoined her team.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Employees work twenty four point seven percent more efficiently when distractions are eliminated," Lara explains while crossing her arms, "Talking, cell phones, and I guess books. I won't have anyone bringing this team down. We're on the job and I need a promotion."

* * *

"Good afternoon passengers," Chris announced as Kiara looked up from the smoothie bar and the crowd of passengers waiting angrily for their drinks.

"We'll be pulling into Busan, South Korea in a few hours," Chris continued as the Putrid Plankton listened over the sound of the washing machines and driers.

"You'll get to experience the beautiful beaches of the Korean shoreline," Chris continued as Phoebe pulled a bathrobe around her body and knotted it.

"As for our competitors," Chris concluded while Elsa was dragged into a broom closet by a bunch of kids, "We have some entertainment to pick up…"

* * *

"Welcome to The Ilmol Hotel," Chris announced as the four teams gathered in the lobby of a pristine and upscale hotel with pleasing music drifting from a nearby dining room, "Home to some of the most famous performers in all of South Korea when they're on tour."

"Do you mean?!" Nancy asked with an excited gasp.

"Korean pop music is huge worldwide but especially so here in Korea where droves of fangirls will trample each other just to get close to the biggest stars," Chris grinned. "Your task is to get one of the members of the K-Pop group we've hired for onboard entertainment to the cruise ship. First team back wins first class passage to our next destination while one lucky member of the last team back wins their own ship… A lifeboat."

"Doesn't seem too hard," Raina admitted with a shrug.

"And we agreed, that's why we decided to notify the public of what you're doing," Chris chuckled while looks of horror stretched across the team's faces, "If the boys are dissatisfied with how you get them to the ship you will have time added to your final score. In addition The Sinister Sharks and Whimsical Whales will have thirty minutes docked from their final scores for winning the challenge and having the best reviews yesterday."

Lara slapped the back of Sophie's head as Chris said this.

"Well who did you rent Grandpa?" Liam demanded with a roll of his eyes.

"Not so fast Creepy Calamari… I wasn't planning on introducing this twist this season but a certain team's actions today warrant it. For getting the worst scores of any team this morning The Creepy Calamari will have thirty minutes added to their final time during the challenge today," Chris smirked while most of The Creepy Calamari felt their faces drop much to Chris' pleasure, "Now, let me introduce you to QUQ!"

Nancy immediately burst into excited screaming that forced Yvonne and Lara had to clamp their hands over her mouth while the elevator dinged and four absolutely gorgeous Korean men stepped out. Each one had a thin athletic build and three of the four had pitch black hair styled in spikes that must have taken hours to perfect. Their lips were somehow full yet masculine and the Brunette of the group had his hair covering one eye. The wardrobe of the boys seemed to consist of leather and metal studs and when one laughed his chuckle was so masculine and dreamy that everyone stared at him with widened eyes. Nancy broke free of Yvonne and Lara and shrieked at the top of her lungs running towards them. She was only stopped by Lara tackling her but that didn't stop Nancy from touching one guy's boot and giggling hysterically before slumping over as limp as a noodle.

"Sinister Sharks you guys get to escort Chin-Mae to the ship" Chris announced as he motioned to the member wearing guyliner. Nancy gave another shriek of joy at the sound of his name while the Sharks looked their pop star up and down, "Creepy Calamari you guys get Chung-Hee."

The boy with the open jacket smiled at the group and waved as Chris directed his attention to the yellow team. Once again Nancy began to giggle and squeal at the sound of another member's name.

"Whimsical Whales, you're escorting Dong-Min," Chris continued directing their attention to the boy with lengthy hair falling down his back clumped in sharp spines that must have taken hours to create. Nancy began dragging herself towards him while giggling before Chris turned to the final team and the final boy band member, "And finally The Putrid Plankton get to escort Ralph!"

"AHHH!" Nancy shrieked while breaking free of Lara's grip and charging Ralph. She embraced him and the Pop Star yelped and shoved her off. Yvonne and Lara quickly grabbed their teammate who wailed on the ground while hyperventilating and giggling.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Nancy shrieks while holding her cheeks and flailing her legs back and forth. She seems to have lost the ability to sit still.

* * *

"Your first task is smuggling them out of the hotel without the paparazzi noticing," Chris announced before waving his hand. "Good luck."

Chris proceeded to stroll out of the hotel while the four teams looked at their perspective boy band members.

"I got this," Louise smirked while cracking his knuckles. The rest of his team just watched silently as he began chatting with the guy in Korean. None of them understood what was being said and maybe that was for the best because Louise was taking on a more and more frustrated look with every single second that passed.

"What's he saying?" Josh asked curiously while glancing at his teammates.

"He's a celebrity, probably wants a limousine, caviar, and hundred year old wine," Liam replied while glaring at Josh, "Just watch, this pampered idiot will just demand and demand and slow us down."

Just as this left Liam's mouth Louise turned towards the team with a smile on his face.

"Chung-Hee has suggested we wait until the others leave, then there will be less paparazzi outside to slow us down," Louise announced while Liam blinked at him with bafflement written all over his face.

"Is that a good idea though?" Josh asked while gazing at his team, "We have a thirty minute penalty which means if it comes down to a footrace we're toasted."

"How much paparazzi could there be anyway?" Liam laughed before turning his head to the front window and letting his jaw drop. Minutes earlier the street had been empty but now hundreds upon hundreds of teenaged Korean girls were outside screaming and reaching over the red velvet stanchions. Security had managed to keep them back but this was only what had shown up in the first few minutes.

"This is going to be difficult," Stewart lamented. "Just like my Stepmom."

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

"How are we going to smuggle him out, it's like trying to get a container of fries past a flock of seagulls!" Phoebe exclaimed while slapping her forehead.

"Maybe if we put him in disguise," Raina suggested while reaching out to Chin-Mae. Her hand was immediately slapped away and the Korean boy motioned to himself with pursed lips and shook his head.

"I took three hours to get ready, I am not going to let you ruin that," The pop star announced in fluent incomprehensible Korean. Raina let out and exhale and planted her hands on her hips. She studied Chin-Mae for a few seconds before turning her head and looking over her team. Bryce was staring at her in deadpan, Helden was humming something to himself, Lloyd was picking at his teeth, and Trevor was looking around the room like he was waiting for a health inspector to walk in and notice the pillars were too close together or something. Raina pursed her lips and looked back at their pop star who seemed to be looking at his reflection in his nails.

Her eyes went back to Trevor a few seconds later. He was clearly of pure Korean descent. Chin-Mae looked the same way, pure Korean. Trevor had the right hair colour, he had the right eye colour. His face was pointed just like their star's, his nose was exactly the same size. The only real difference was their heights. Trevor was slightly taller but to a crazed fangirl at a distance that wouldn't matter. Raina felt the lights come on in her brain and she immediately grabbed Trevor and thrust him up right next to their star. The resemblance was made even clearer. Trevor could be easily passed off as this idol. All he needed was a makeover.

"Trevor you have to pretend to be Chin-Mae and distract that paparazzi!" Raina exclaimed while Trevor's eyes went wide.

"What? No way! Identity theft is a serious crime. If I ever want to be an officer of the law I need a clear record," Trevor announced while waving his hand in protest.

"Um… Police don't only solve crimes right!" Raina exclaimed after snapping her fingers. "They also protect people!"

"And?" Trevor asked while raising an eyebrow.

"Our mission is to protect this idol from his rabid fanbase, you need to go undercover cadet!" Raina exclaimed while stomping her foot and putting on a firm expression.

"No way," Trevor reiterated with his eyes closed. "I will not and cannot break the law."

"Come on dude, imagine your future chief watching this show and realizing how good you are at going undercover," Bryce grinned while sauntering over to Trevor and putting his arm around his shoulder.

"Well… When you put it like that…" Trevor trailed before his gaze shifted downwards and hardened. He then raised it and nodded. "I'll do it!"

"Great!' Raina exclaimed before looking at the elevator. "Now all we need to do is make you look the part…"

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Told you I'd make a better leader," Bryce smirks.

* * *

 **The Putrid Plankton**

* * *

"Okay, this is a problem," Lara grunted as Nancy continued to shriek and reach out trying to touch Ralph. The guy was on his phone eying Nancy with a sideways glance that definitely spelled lost points.

"We can't just leave her behind," Yvonne sighed as Nancy yelled again and swiped her hand very close to Ralph's hair. The guy took a step away from Nancy, continuing to look absolutely uncomfortable while Lara struggled to keep her giggling teammate under control. She planted her feet, grabbed both Nancy's shoulders and whirled her around so they were looking each other in the eye.

"Nancy, you need to stop!" Lara ordered while shaking her teammate.

"Ralph, from QUQ… THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!" Nancy shrieked before breaking free from Lara's grip and pouncing onto Ralph. She tackled him and his phone went sailing onto the floor and landed with a gross crack. The screen fizzled out and the entire thing went dead while Ralph tried to detach Nancy from his torso. Lara and Anne managed to reach forward and pry her off. They held their giggling teammate up while Ralph rose to his feet, dusted his jacket off and began shouting at them in Korean. Nancy got even more excited at the sound of his voice and the girls struggled to hold her back.

"Okay! Game plan, you five escort Ralph, we'll keep her quiet and off him," Lara ordered while Nancy continued to giggle. The girls shifted and Lara clamped her hand over Nancy's mouth while Anne gripped her hands close together. All seven girls sighed at the silence while Diane looked for a way out. She tapped Yvonne on the shoulder and pointed at the kitchen. Yvonne smirked before all nine of them began to move towards it, though when Ralph had his shoulder tapped he slapped Bebe's hand away.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I never really got boy bands," Diane admits while leaning on her arm. "My older sister Rhonda went through this whole phase where she obsessed over mass produced boys with pretty hair and auto tuned voices. Then my little sister Krissy got completely enthralled with this angsty emo band filled with guys as skinny as beanpoles. I never really got it…"

* * *

 **The Whimsical Whales**

* * *

"There is no way we're escaping on foot, there are too many of them!" Stephen exclaimed while staring at the rambunctious crowd outside.

"Pssh, people of this calibre do not escape on foot," Gabriel laughed while the rest of his team turned to him, "We must call a limousine."

"Last time I checked… WE DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY!" Ryan screamed in response before kicking a nearby chair in anger.

"Simpleton," Gabriel sighed before turning to their pop idol, who seemed more interested in his phone than the current events, "Excuse me, do you think you can perhaps call us a limousine so we may transport you safely to the cruise ship?"

The guy gave a quick response in Korean before continuing to tap on his phone.

"Yeah that went well," Natalie sarcastically commented.

Gabriel turned to her in rage and the two locked eyes. Their lids lowered little by little and their frowns extended to extreme lengths. The rest of the team watched with extreme caution while the two began to argue angrily. Venomous insults flowed from one mouth to the other and their idol watched the exchange with half closed eyes and his fingers on his phone. Stephen let out an exhale as he watched this before his eyes were drawn outside where a limousine had just pulled up.

"Uh guys…" Stephen announced and everyone else looked out the window at the limo that had just pulled up and was crowded by fangirls.

"That was fast," Dong-Min shrugged before walking towards it. The entire Whimsical Whale team followed him outside and immediately the crowd of rabid fangirls burst into cheering and a thousand and one flashes erupted from every camera and phone visible. Dong-Min began posing for the pictures and moving step by step closer to the limo. Stephen hurried ahead of him and quickly opened the door. The driver watched him do so with her eyes quivering and her lips pursed. Dong-Min stepped into the limo and the rest of the team followed with excited grins on their faces. They scurried into the spacious vehicle and the door was shut. Everyone let out a sigh as they began moving. Fangirls batted against the windows pressing their faces against them and screaming at the top of their lungs as the vehicle began to pull away. Their batting freaked a lot of the team out but they didn't seem to have the ability to break the glass.

A girl with Korean lettering on her face got atop the limo and pressed her face against the skylight while shouting something into the vehicle below. Dong-Min didn't seem bothered by this and reacted like it was as eventful as a leaf falling from a tree. Girls swarmed the vehicle holding signs, taking photos and slowing down the progress of the limo. They were basically wading through traffic but the driver never stopped moving forward. The girls valued their own lives more than they valued getting a peek at the Kpop idol in the vehicle.

"First time in a limousine?" Gabriel chuckled as the team stared at a girl bashing her head against the vehicle, "Father is quite the well-known music artist back home so I see this sort of thing often. You see it once, you see it a thousand times."

No one really acknowledged him, they were too busy staring at a girl removing her top that was knocked over by the crowd as they burst forward from the fangirls and rumbled down the street. Girls gave chase on foot but they quickly fell behind as the limo peeled off as quickly as possible causing a few cars to honk at it when it swiveled back and forth trying to adjust to the speed. Gabriel didn't seem to react so no one really bothered to care simply assuming that was normal.

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

An entire container of hair gel was required to make Trevor's hair match the style Chin-Mae was in. Makeup had to be applied to his face, blemishes covered up, and eyebrows plucked. Trevor cringed every time the tweezers pulled some of his hair out but he didn't complain. Renee and Helden weren't going to slow down for anything.

"You will look the beautifuls," Helden announced as he held up one of the leather jackets studded with silver spikes and buttons, "Get all the ladies, especially the crazy ones that are crazy."

The rest of the team impatiently stared out the window, they had watched the Whimsical Whales make a getaway in a limousine. Had any other team done this it wouldn't have worried Raina but because the solitary team that shared their reward had gotten a motorized vehicle she felt as if first class had already slipped from their grasp.

"We'll beat them," Phoebe reassured Raina as she approached the window, "Some of the crowd has already left, they'll chase them down in vehicles, trust me, a limousine sticks out like a sore thumb."

"It's not just that," Raina sighed, closing her eyes as the hot air escaped her mouth, "I couldn't convince Trevor to do this, Bryce had to step in. I'm supposed to be the leader and yet I'm not able to control my team."

"Hey, you won the leadership challenge fair and square," Phoebe replied. "We all respect your authority. Bryce was just helping you, not taking that idea away from you."

"I guess…" Raina trailed with a sigh.

"And done," Renee announced before stepping back. The entire team approached Trevor who was spun around. He looked like he could win a Chin-Mae lookalike contest and even the pop star seemed impressed.

"I feel stupid," Trevor commented.

"Well you better play up the bravado," Raina replied as she approached. She glanced at Bryce and Olga before snapping her fingers, "You two make sure he stays safe. Head back to the ship as soon as you can."

"Aye aye captain" Olga saluted while Bryce frowned heavily. The rest of the team and their idol moved out of the room while the remaining trio looked at each other.

Silence engulfed them as they rode the elevator to the bottom floor. Olga and Bryce sided Trevor who couldn't do anything but stare at himself in the reflective surface of the elevator. They hit the bottom floor with a ding and walked right past the Creepy Calamari, who hadn't made a move at all. They watched as Trevor, Olga, and Bryce stepped outside to be greeted by an uproar of cheering. Trevor exhaled deeply while Bryce elbowed him. He swallowed nervously as cameras flashed in his face and girls screamed at him. Their eyes filled with lust, obsession, and adoration. Things that had never been thrown in Trevor's direction before.

"What do I do?" He asked through grit teeth.

"Pose, walk around, just don't get too close to the edge," Bryce replied before pushing Trevor forward. He held his hands out and put on a half-smile while some of the girls tried to grab him. The security pushed them back while girls screamed Korean at him, things that perhaps Trevor's grandfather could understand but to him it was alien and strange. His mind kept connecting the sounds to English words and making up meanings that had little to do with his current situation. It was sensory overload so he bit his lip and waved at them.

A scream coursed through the crowd and Trevor paused. He then lifted his other hand and waved and they went even crazier. He laughed and they began to chant the pop star's name while snapping pictures of him. His hands went down and the cheering quieted but the second they went up again they were going nuts, grabbing each other, and pointing at him. If his gaze so much as fell on a girl she would get excited and faint. Simply being in his presence was enough for these girls. He didn't have to say anything, do anything, or try at all. It was completely vapid and that vapidity allowed his teammates and the real pop idol to slip past the paparazzi unnoticed and undetected. The only real challenge left was getting himself from the hotel to the ship itself. He just had to keep this up for a few minutes before returning.

"Think it's enough?" Olga asked after a few seconds had passed.

"I think so, look, a limo's coming," Bryce replied while motioning to a vehicle cutting through the crowd. Some celebrity would no doubt exit meaning they had to clear the walkway. The perfect opportunity to slip out undetected.

The limo pulled up and the two approached Trevor ready to bring him back inside. The driver stepped out, opened the door, and no one stepped out. Instead the man ushered into the vehicle and said something in Korean. However, they understood one word, or rather name. He said QUQ meaning the limousine was for one of the band members. Trevor backed up to his companions and laughed nervously while the Creepy Calamari watched from behind and the people began swarming the limo.

"Let's take an opportunity before The Calamari take it for us," Bryce suggested before he and Olga steered Trevor to the vehicle and slipped into it. The door shut and the driver got back in. He asked something in Korean and Bryce walked forward to the window and patted the man on the shoulder before reaching over and touching the GPS. He moved the curser around until he found the pier they were docked at and immediately punched it in. The window rolled up and Bryce sat down with a smile.

"I wonder which team this limo was for," Trevor mused.

"Who cares," Bryce snickered in reply, "It's ours now."

* * *

 **The Whimsical Whales**

* * *

The limousine rolled to a stop at a quiet little pier. Everyone looked out the windows enjoying the quiet ride while the vehicle rumbled along. For some odd reason the cruise ship was nowhere to be seen, not that anyone on the team was sad to miss it. It wasn't until the limo pulled into one of the dock warehouses that everyone exchanged odd looks. They pulled to a stop before the vehicle was shut off. Dong-Min blinked before the door was opened. Stephen poked his head out and went wide eyed as he was pushed backwards. The driver stood there grinning at them with at least a dozen other Korean girls behind her. The ill-fitting uniform and insane look in her eyes made Stephen pale, grab the door handle and slam it shut.

He locked the door but it immediately unlocked and the driver opened it again saying something in Korean. The other door opened and a bunch of girls with shirts sporting Dong-Min's face leered at them.

"I don't think this is our cab…" Stephen trailed before a bunch of girls rushed inside. The one dressed as the driver leapt forward towards Dong-Min and the guy yelped in surprise and jumped back. Wilma grabbed her and used her as a ram to shove a few girls out as she went. They fell onto the pavement and she swiped the keys from the lead girl. She tossed them at Natalie who rolled down the separator and wiggled her way into the driver's seat next to an unconscious man passed out against the window. She slipped into the seat, ignited the vehicle and locked the doors.

Wilma and Brad shoved a girl out the door while Deek told them to stop being violent. A brunette girl was snatched by Jason and shoved out the window before the final one followed her. Natalie then hit the gas and they whirled around with a screech coming face to face with about twenty four girls staring at them and blocking the entry. Natalie narrowed her eyes before slamming her foot on the gas and running at the girls. They all yelped and dove out of the way as the limousine peeled out of the warehouse and out onto the street where Natalie was nearly hit as she screeched onto the road and began peeling in a random direction trying to figure out the length of the limo as she went. Dong-Min yelled out what sounded like profanities while the rest of the team clung onto the seats as Natalie sped and tried to figure out the Korean road signs.

"Slow down, we don't want to get pulled over!" Gabriel exclaimed while they swerved left and right until Natalie hit the brakes. The driver slid forward and slapped his unconscious face against the dashboard earning a grimace from Natalie. They began following a long stretch of coastal road looking for the cruise ship as they went. Traffic wasn't bad so they wound around quite a bit of beachside before the ship came into sight. The _S.S McLean_ loomed over the harbour and the team rushed to the front with excitement in their eyes. A grin spread across Natalie's face as they neared the entry. They were so close to winning they could taste it.

Then the driver woke up.

The guy's eyes opened and he blinked, turned towards Natalie and immediately panicked. He shouted something in Korean before reaching over and grabbing the wheel. Natalie fought back as they shifted back and forth. They smashed through the toll booth guarding the ship and rumbled down towards the finish line. Interns leapt out of the way as they crushed crates of supplies and sent an entire load of food tumbling into the water. Nearly running Chris over proved to be the piece de resistance before the limousine went right over the dock and crashed into the water. Everyone was jolted forward and the vehicle began to fill with water. Elsa yelped and opened the Sun roof before water flooded in and they were completely submerged.

Chris watched from the dock and exchanged a look with Chef before players from the team began emerging from the water gasping for air. Dong-Min surfaced and began shouting in Korean while flailing his arms and when Natalie and the driver surfaced the clean shaven man began barking at her in the same language. Chris immediately started laughing at the events transpiring in the water, the team lugged themselves up to shore with their precious cargo and a limousine driver in tow. They sat soggy on the deck while Dong-Min stormed up to Chris and began yelling while the host nodded and pretended to listen.

The team stared at the events transpiring before Dong-Min stormed onto the ship with water soggily dripping from his clothing and his shoes making a squishing noise with every step. The team watched him go before turning their attention back to Chris.

"You guys are the first back and would get first place… But if The Sinister Sharks decide to make an appearance in the next half hour they'll beat you," Chris chuckled while complaints rose from the Whimsical Whales.

"But we got the same reward as The Sharks!" Natalie protested.

"True, but you nearly got your band member kidnapped, then you almost drowned him," Chris replied, "Better hope the Sharks are having as bad a day as you guys or it'll be four days in a row working."

Groaning filled the air in response.

* * *

 **The Putrid Plankton**

* * *

"Quiet," Diane hissed as the team slunk through the alleyway behind the hotel. The horde of girls hadn't entered it and by the looks of things they just had to run across a street and they'd be clear. Each member of the team began to tiptoe forward with their celebrity in tow. Behind everyone Anne and Lara held Nancy tightly hoping to prevent an incident. The girl had quieted down significantly but Lara didn't dare remove her hand from Nancy's mouth and Anne wouldn't let her go even if she was asked.

Diane crept forward and quickly made her way across the road. No one paid her any attention at all and she made it to the other side incident free. Bebe followed her and tripped halfway across the street. Not even a pink haired girl tripping on her face could distract the crowd from the doors where they could see The Creepy Calamari and Chung-Hee waiting for an opening. She also made it across and sighed as she did so. Yvonne and Zilka approached the road next with Ralph slinking by behind them. His feet moved in a low walking position that made Nancy's eyes go wide.

The cover of their second hit album had contained Ralph in that exact pose with his band members standing around him while gazing sexily at the camera. She couldn't control herself. She began to shake, bit down on Lara's hand, and let out an absolutely maniacal fangirl scream that made everyone on the team cover their ears. Anne let go of Nancy, Lara yelped about her hand, and Ralph stood up to see what the commotion was while the entire crowd of girls turned to face his exposed body. He turned with quivering eyes as the scream Nancy had let loose coursed through the crowd and a stampede began. Ralph let out a scream of terror before taking off running with Nancy and the entire wave of Korean fangirls giving chase. Zilka and Yvonne were knocked off their feet while the crowd stormed past chasing the athletically built celebrity down the street. He yowled in fear as he went while Nancy shrieked at him.

"MARRY ME RALPH! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU!" Nancy screamed before pouncing and catching her prey. Ralph fell to the ground and screamed as the stampede of girls surrounded him and began to fight one another over who got to be closest. His jacket was torn off. His hair was pulled, and the girls planted kisses on his face, stuffed cookies at his mouth, and thrust dolls in his image at him all while pictures were snapped, phones were shattered, and someone stole his shoes, shirt, and left ear piercing. The Putrid Plankton could only watch helplessly as the girls tore his jacket to shreds as they fought over who got to keep it. Someone managed to rip a tooth from his face and ran around with it while other girls fought her for it.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Madness," Diana shudders, "Pure, uncontrolled madness!"

* * *

 **The Creepy Calamari**

* * *

The horde of girls ran out of sight screaming at the top of their lungs leaving the entrance to the hotel open. The Calamari spared no time at all in rushing forward. Liam and Nadie shoved Chung-Hee forward while he shouted at them and slapped their hands off his jacket. Neither contestant paid him much heed. They scurried forward halfway across the road when suddenly part of the crowd turned towards them and an excited squeal ran through them. Everyone went wide eyed and Chung-Hee began shouting in an ordering voice no longer slapping the hands of the team. A burst of speed was called for and all ten of them began booking it down the sidewalk. Fangirls gave chase swarming the road and sidewalks and causing vehicles to honk and pedestrians to shout.

"RIGHT!" Lucile ordered and the entire team rounded a corner sharply with the crowd still chasing. Chung-Hee began to pant and slow down while Frank fell behind and yelped as the crowd devoured him and he was swept out of sight. More speed was put on in response to this but Stewart began to pant and quickly joined Frank in being trampled by the crowd.

Lucile ordered a left and they began charging down the street running across an intersection while buses and cars honked angrily at them. They weaved left and right, ducked under the arms of passerbys and watched as Kiara tripped, Josh slid to a halt to help her up and the horde ran them over.

Chung-Hee was really slowing down now, wheezing and panting while Nadie and Liam kept pulling him. He kept stumbling, threatening to be eaten by the crowd. That was until Liam grabbed the pop star's jacket, tore it off and held it in the air.

"I HAVE HIS JACKET!" He announced before the crowd enveloped him and stopped chasing the star. Chung-Hee shouted something while the remainders of the team plunged forward down the road. They were out of breath and panting but they managed to run right past a collection of teenagers and another member of QUQ.

"THAT WAS THE CALAMARI!" Raina exclaimed. She and her team exchanged a look before gazing backwards where a solitary fangirl had poked her head around the corner. A shriek escaped her lips and Chin-Mae went wide eyed and began shouting something while slapping Phoebe's arm.

"Yeah yeah, I hear you," Olga replied before picking the guy up and slinging him over her shoulder. The entire team took off running spreading out as they went. Olga outpaced the rest taking powerful strides towards the pier. She quickly overtook everyone on The Creepy Calamari and bounded across a busy intersection drawing honks and Korean shouts as she went. She leapt over a broken toll booth barrier and came to a halt at the foot of the ship. Chin-Mae was put down and immediately booked it into the _S.S McLean_. Olga panted while the blue and yellow teams scurried after her and slid in front of Chris one by one.

"Well, no complaint means you keep your half hour bonus," Chris chuckled while the players crowded around him, "Only problem is that you're missing a few players. Same goes for you squid faces…"

"Does that mean we win?" Elsa asked while going wide eyed.

"In about thirty seconds," Chris replied before turning his head at the sound of honking. A limousine pulled up just as he said this and the door opened wide. Trevor, Olga, and Bryce stepped out and began cheering at the sight of their team, "And The Sinister Sharks win! Again…."

"Aw come on!" Elsa shouted in rage before ploughing her hand into her face.

"If it's any consolation you guys get second," Chris grinned before footsteps filled the air and everyone turned their head to see The Putrid Plankton arrive. Lara exhaled deeply and put a beaten up and nearly nude Ralph on the ground while her team panted behind her. Nancy immediately lost it and leapt at Chung-Hee, who dodged backwards, screamed something out, and dashed onto the ship without another word.

"I need a hospital," Ralph groaned in Korean before falling unconscious. Chris began laughing in response while The Putrid Plankton rubbed their arms awkwardly.

"Well I'd say The Putrid Plankton have lost this one," Chris chuckled while a look of confusion came over Lara's face. "Considering Ralph here needs medical attention making our entertainment tonight one man short and all."

"He's so cute," Nancy giggled before Lara gave a roar and lunged at her teammate. Nancy stumbled backwards before giving a scream while the raven haired seventeen time employee of the month chased her with her fists swinging.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"This goes beyond slacking on the job," Lara announces with her nose wrinkled in anger. "This is Bethany Garrison taking half full buckets of mint chocolate chip home! Nancy won't just be scolded for this. She won't just be fired for this. She. Will. Be. Blacklisted."

* * *

The three conscious members of QUQ burst into delightful sounding top forties korean music on the top deck. A loud rhythm pumped through the speakers while passengers listened to the live performing before them. Teenaged girls screamed at the front, seeming a lot less scary after the maniacs of the day. The passengers seemed to be having a good time and out of the winning team Helden seemed to be enjoying himself the most.

"WHEEEHEEHEE!" He giggled as he thrust his way past the rest of his team clustered at the back of the audience. For a number of them K-Pop music was just not their thing. Lloyd and Olga had already retired for the night while the rest of the team enjoyed the complimentary refreshments and food lined up on banquet tables. After spending the night eating Chef's cooking back in Alaska all of them were quick to take advantage of any high class food they could get.

"It's weird, but it tastes amazing compared to Fusion Roll or whatever," Warren chuckled before downing some shrimp drizzled in alien sauce. Raina chuckled as he did this and cast her gaze over to where Trevor and Bryce were talking. She put her glass down and approached the two of them entering a conversation last minute.

"… And that's how things ended with Tessa," Bryce concluded before glancing at Raina with half closed eyes.

"You did a good job today Trevor," Raina smiled while her teammate scratched the back of his head, "Pretty brave, especially considering what happened to the guy The Plankton were guarding."

"Well, I prefer something more discrete," Trevor admitted.

"Noted," Raina nodded before watching Trevor walk towards the refreshment table for more juice. As soon as he was out of ear range she turned towards Bryce with a smile. "And I should be thanking you, convincing him to do it and all."

"Oh don't play coy with me Raina," Bryce hissed causing Raina to take a step back. The big guy loomed over her, suddenly seeming a lot more intimidating. "I know you had Warren edit that documentary so you could become team captain."

"What?!" Raina demanded with outrage lining her voice, "I didn't order Warren to do anything."

"Oh lie all you want," Bryce replied before crushing the plastic cup in his hand and letting it fall to the ground. "One of these days you're going to screw up and I'm going to step up. When that happens you're going to need a lot more than a documentary to keep these morons following you."

Bryce then stomped on the cup and stalked off, shooting Raina a sideways glare as he went. He descended to a lower deck and when he disappeared Raina returned to Warren while scratching the back of her head.

"So anyway-" Warren started before Raina grabbed his shirt and pulled him aside. They squished into a doorway with their faces incredibly close. Raina glanced back and forth before turning her attention to Warren.

"Did you… Did you edit the Alaskan documentary so I would win the team captain position?" Raina asked in a hushed tone.

"No… I… How did you find out?" Warren asked while guilt overcame his face.

"Would we have won that day if you hadn't done that?!" Raina asked in a panic. Warren's eyes squinted guiltily giving her all the answer she needed. She put a hand to her head and exhaled deeply while stroking it. "Bryce has caught on."

"And?" Warren asked.

"And he's going to turn the entire team against me, if they knew I got this position by cheating I'd be the first one off!" Raina exclaimed with guilt crossing her face.

"Relax," Warren shushed while grabbing her hands, "The lowest we've ranked is second. If we do end up losing we just need to convince people to vote Bryce off and we're home free."

Raina exhaled in response before putting on a brave face and stepping out of the doorway. "Alright. Alright…"

Her relief was short lived as when she looked over eight figures had crept past the concert. One of whom had to be restrained by two of her teammates. One of them would be plunged off the ship and Raina could only imagine herself in that position.

Interns blocked off a portion of the deck and only stepped aside when The Putrid Plankton approached them. One by one the eight girls approached the entryway and seated themselves down by the pool. Nancy tried to escape and run to the concert that boomed on the other deck but Lara and Anne grabbed her and held her down.

Before the eight girls loomed Chris, once again illuminated by the pool and sided by a tray with seven mints wrapped in reflective foil. Bowls of the things sat in the supply closet but the seven before them had a sense of importance applied to them. The blue light reflecting off them was almost magical and at least some of the girls were staring at them rather longingly.

"Back again," sighed Chris as he began shaking his head and clicking his tongue. "Pathetic Plankton indeed. What do you think it is? Is it the fact you have no guys on your team? Is it a lack of leadership? Are you cursed?"

Seven of the eight girls glared back at him while Nancy fidgeted uncomfortably.

"No, I got it… Maybe it's because you were formed out of the last people to exit that bus on day one," Chris smirked. "Funny how that works eh?"

"Can we just vote already?" Lara demanded. "I'm sick of holding Nancy down."

You're going to run out of people to blame for challenge loses eventually," Chris retorted with a shrug, "I'm sensing a lack of morale. Know why that is Lara?"

"Maybe we're just sick of losing!" Lara responded in a huff before rising to her feet. "I'm going to go vote!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

" _I'm sensing a lack of Morale_ , give me a break," Lara laughs while her eyes roll. "I'm on a team with a girl who won't squash spiders, A Klutz, A slacker, a prima donna, the amazing vegan, and Diane… And I keep forgetting she's on my team. It's about time I whip these slackers into shape and that starts with getting rid of boys for brains…"

"I'm voting for Nancy," Anne states while hitting Nancy's passport with the stamper. "She really screwed up today."

Nancy is physically vibrating in her seat while the sound of the concert on the next deck fills the background.

Sophie scratches her hairline while glancing back and forth between Lara's passport and Nancy's. After a short pause she carefully stamps Lara's.

* * *

"The following contestants are safe," Chris announced as Sophie returned to the poolside and took her seat next to Lara without making eye contact. "Anne-"

Anne's face didn't change in terms of reaction as Chris tossed the mint at her, missed, and watched it land in the pool with a plunk.

"Bebe, Diane, and Sophie," Chris continued while tossing the three girls their respective mints. His gaze then swept over to Yvonne and Zilka who didn't look at all worried. "Yvonne and Zilka…"

The girls caught their mints leaving only Nancy and Lara left. Lara flipped some of her hair back and gave a, "Hmmph!" while Nancy swayed with the sound of QUQ's vocals.

"The final mint of the night and safety from elimination goes to…" Chris trailed while Lara continued to avoid eye contact with Nancy. The host opened his mouth and let a short pause ring from it. "…

...

…

… Lara!" Chris concluded before tossing the final safety symbol to the raven locked girl. "Nancy, your time is over."

"But I didn't get to meet Dong-Min!" Nancy exclaimed while rising to her feet.

"And you never will, you have a restraining order waiting for you in the lifeboat of losers. Enjoy it," Chris announced while Nancy went wide eyed.

"I HAVE QUQ'S AUTOGRAPH!" Nancy screamed before an ear piercing squeal escaped her lips. She zipped past her teammates and dove right into the lifeboat hanging suspended over the cruise ship's edge. She stood up with a sealed envelope and let out an ear piercing wail of joy while Chris hit the release. She then plunged into the dark water below screaming as she did so. Her voice faded into the night as the sound of the concert overtook the boat. Chris then turned to the Putrid Plankton and gave the seven girls a grin.

"If you start trying maybe one of you will actually make the merge," Chris chuckled while the girls all looked at Lara.

"Oh, more than one of us will make the merge, mark my words Chris!" Lara announced. "Because we're winning that reward tomorrow!"

"Sure you will," Chris replied before the contestants all trooped out. They passed the concert again and Raina watched them go. Seven members instead of eight.

Despite the fact her team had just won a bigger numbers advantage over the Putrid Plankton she couldn't help but let her eyes quiver in fear with the knowledge that sooner or later people would be casting votes for her, and the less reason she gave them to hand those votes out the better.


	5. Kung Fu Black and Blues

**Total Drama Ocean Cruise**

 **Chapter V: Kung Fu Black and Blues**

 **Written by The Firebending Frog**

* * *

The red disc slid across the deck of the ship, stopping halfway across the shuffleboard that had been painted there. The old man who had slid it forward immediately swore and threw the cue he had been holding onto the ground like a twelve year old who just lost a round in a video game. It was honestly pathetic, and in any other circumstance this would have resulted in negative reactions. However, service with a smile was the number one priority on deck and Lara just spread her smile as far as it could go.

"Nice move Mr. Thomas," She grinned while the old man turned to her.

"You call that a nice move?! Why you kids have had your hands held all your life getting participation trophies for everything you do! In the real world there are only winners and losers, none of this safe space, current generation garbage with your celley phones and your GMOs and your lazy good for nothing attitude! Why back in my day we were happy to just have bread and running water!" Mr. Thomas ranted while Lara forced her eye not to twitch. Her tooth baring smile was still stretched to its maximum capacity while Mr. Thomas ranted and ranted about a seemingly endless series of unrelated subjects. By the time he was finished they'd somehow gone from complimenting his move to the political intricacies of twentieth century Russia.

"Give him a new cue!" his wife barked once the rant was over. Lara didn't break her smile and grabbed a new cue for the old man. He took it while grumbling and Lara had to move the disc back to ready position. The old man shoved the disc forward again and it stopped in roughly the same place. The process was repeated and Lara felt her eye nearly twinge. She retained a smile though, good service meant good marks. The old couple played for a while longer before they both began complaining about naps and shuffled off. For the first time that day Lara could exhale and take a breather. There was no lineup for shuffleboard, why on earth would there be? It was the most boring game that could possibly be played and the only reason she had taken the position over her teammates was because none of them could be trusted to deal with customers.

Most of the other girls were littered around the deck running games for the people on deck. A quiet transit to their next destination had occurred all morning. Posters advertising a Kung Fu match later that day gave away exactly where they were headed. The Chinese shore was not far from the Korean peninsula and Lara could only imagine what they would be forced to do there. Chris would probably have them scale the side of a skyscraper or something, and the team with a good score would probably be the only one given rope.

Due to this Lara needed to keep an eye on her teammates. Anne was being told to go get an overweight man a drink. She was protesting that she wasn't a server. If she knew better she would get him a drink and make sure he was happy. Meanwhile Bebe would have been fired ages ago for tripping and dunking a bunch of towels into the pool. Diane was playing against a lonely old man and winning. The first rule of playing against a customer was to make them happy, not try and win. Then Sophie was watching the clouds and failing to keep score for a small water polo match occurring, and Yvonne seemed more interested in checking to make sure she looked good in the lifeguard's swimsuit than keeping an eye on the people in the pool. Zilka had also failed to chase the seagulls off and was actively feeding them pizza crusts, something that would create some pretty nasty habits in the birds. The entire team was pathetic overall. Numerous ways to get fired existed in every girl and Lara had just about enough of it. She was not going to come behind the Whimsical Whales or Creepy Calamari again. She was a manager, she was employee of the month, and she would make sure she became beloved by the customers on the ship. She wanted them to come to her with their problems, demand her service from the other teams, and grow happy when she solved a problem her incompetent teammates couldn't.

"Stop Modelling!" She shouted, approaching Yvonne from behind and shoving the girl into the pool with a loud splash. Yvonne swam to the surface and sputtered for a few seconds before Lara turned her attention to Zilka and loomed over her. The seagulls immediately took off in fear and Zilka turned around and lowered her head.

Lara's fist slammed on Sophie's table, her eyes swept to Anne who grit her teeth, grabbed the fat man's drink, and bolted, before settling on Diane and Bebe with venom on her eyeline.

"I am sick and tired of coming last, we are the weakest team in this game and if we continue with this outrageous customer service we'll be back at that elimination ceremony again," Lara snarled while passengers and contestants alike watched her. Her hand shot out and pointed at Yvonne, "You want to be next."

"Yeah, I'm not next," Yvonne replied while shifting Lara's hand to the side, "And who said you could shove me in the pool anyway!"

"Someone could drown!" Lara exclaimed.

"The water is waist deep!" Yvonne exclaimed while motioning to herself and seeming to notice her figure had fit into the outfit better now that it was wet.

"Guys, we can't allow any pointless distractions," Lara sighed.

"What? You going to shove her body into the washing machine?" Sophie demanded while crossing her arms. Her eyes lowered into a heavy glare of annoyance and rage that was only matched by Lara's own face.

"Zip it slacker," Lara growled while pointing a finger right at Sophie's nose, "If we lose again there is no way we'll ever catch up! We're already three players down and haven't ever won anything, I'm taking charge before anything else goes wrong."

"And how are you going to do that?" Sophie asked while crossing her arms.

"You're going to get into a swimsuit for starters and take over the lifeguard position," Lara started before pointing at Diane, "And you can have her job, you're too competitive for your own good."

"But I like this," Diane protested.

"Liking it has nothing to do with it. We are working and when you work you go where your abilities are most useful," Lara snapped while pointing Diane to the water polo scoreboard. Her eyes then directed at Yvonne who was once again seeing how her bottom looked in the water, "And you can take Diane's job."

"Boo!" was all Yvonne could protest with.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Lara's a bossy keener," Yvonne admits. "She's a complete loon but also happens to be the strongest member of the team. Eliminating her would definitely spell death for the rest of us. The best I can do for now is just avoid her wrath. With Sophie angry at her, Zilka's morals, and Bebe's clumsiness I still have a while to go before I even have to worry about that temper being turned on me, and by that point a merge will have arrived and she'll have a whole new lineup of idiots to boss around."

* * *

 **The Creepy Calamari**

* * *

"Room service!" Lucile called while knocking on door two hundred and seven. It took a few seconds for the door to open and when it did Lucile was blasted with a wave of sunscreen scented air. A man with thick rimmed glasses and a goatee stood in the doorway, at first seeming excited for his food but the second he saw Lucile his face dropped.

"Oh, it's _your_ team today," The man scoffed before reaching forward and grabbing the metal lid on the food tray. He lifted it off the cart and revealed the eggs, sausage, and rice sitting in a smiley face pattern. It all looked perfect. She would know, she'd cooked a few eggs in her life. The man behind the door however didn't seem impressed, "Yeah, they look overdone."

"Um…" Lucile trailed while the guy stood up and sniffed with half closed eyes staring at her.

"Can I get this cooked by someone who knows what they're doing? Like the girls from the green team?"

"They're on deck duty today," Lucile replied with an awkward smile.

"Pfft figures," The guy grumbled before grabbing the tray and vanishing behind his door. No evaluation card was given, which was basically a polite way of giving a solid zero. Lucile immediately sighed and began wheeling the cart down the hall picking up empty trays put outside the doors as she went. In her household she ate what was put in front of her, the ridiculous standards the people on the ship had for food were beginning to irritate her.

Half the passengers didn't eat vegetables and the other half wanted chicken that was free range, whatever that meant. If it meant letting the chicken's wander around open fields then Lucile assumed such things were lying. Foxes, coyotes, and hawks would have a field day if that were the case. Chickens already had a nasty habit of turning cannibalistic without predators adding to the kill rate. Two years ago one of the hens at her farm had died overnight and when they discovered her in the morning the entire flock had already torn her feathers and flesh off. They began attacking one another and eating their own eggs. They turned savage if they weren't watched closely. Plus a chicken only needed so much space to be happy.

Not that anyone would get that, most people didn't have to walk outside to feed the modern dinosaurs at six in the morning. None of them had likely tasted fresh chicken either, or pork for that matter. She wasn't even sure if half the people on the ship ate anything that wasn't pre-emptively wrapped in plastic. The minibars sure drained out of chocolate bars and cookies fast while the apples, oranges, and pears remained untouched. They'd all gotten smart and started ordering their steaks without vegetables, else the taste of something healthy ruin the flavour.

"Room service," Lucile called as she knocked on another door down the hall. Arguing broke out from inside the room and she gave a huff, blowing some stray blonde hairs out of her face while the couple behind the door shouted that it wasn't their turn to answer the door. They sounded like her older brothers arguing over who had to go follow their father with the grain truck. Just like those arguments they ended with one arguee in front of her that began giving her demands and orders claiming their important job made them unable to do anything.

In this case the man didn't want his food because there was a bus bin right next it.

"You expect me to eat something that's been tainted?!" the man demanded while motioning at the dirty dishes and ignoring the cover on his tray of food.

"I have to bring that with me," Lucile commented in deadpan.

"Well, next time you come around you can make two trips and not taint my food!" The man shouted before slamming the door in Lucile's face. She kicked it behind him and a scorecard with a zero on it was slid back at her in reply. She picked it and lifted the lid off the food the man was going to eat. Inside was a bunch of eggs and bacon sided with toast and so many ketchup packages it seemed wasteful. Lucile slammed the lid back down and pushed her cart along while grumbling to herself. She made a few more deliveries to complaining people before riding the elevator up and getting scolded by a woman claiming "The Help" shouldn't be in the customer elevator. By the time she re-entered the kitchen she was done.

"Two Twenty Four wants their food redone," She announced to the group of teenagers cleaning the kitchen up after lunch. Groaning began anew and Liam had to pick up clean dishes to start cooking again. He was about to spit in the eggs when Lucile gave him a glare and growl. He wrinkled his nose in response and just plated the food and put it under a lid.

Lucile had to walk downstairs with the hot platter touching her fingers and when she knocked the guy acted like she was doing things properly now. She just tried not to glare at him and only let her smile fall when his door closed. She then turned and walked down the hallway with her eyes narrowed in annoyance.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"That day we spent in first class was bliss," Lucile admits with a sigh before her face lowers into a frown, "I need to get in there. These people are driving me crazy!"

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

One of the best perks about first class passage to destinations was sleeping in, something the vast majority of the Sinister Sharks had grown accustomed to taking advantage of. Though this didn't stop a number of members from continuing a rigorous wakeup and sleeping schedule. Freedom to mingle with the passengers wasn't a problem in the ship's gym considering most of them hadn't ever tried dieting or exercising before. There'd maybe be one or two in the entire facility leaving every piece of equipment open for use, something Trevor wasn't going to pass up at all.

They'd been winning an awful lot and though it was tempting to sit on the sofa like Warren and watch movies all day the boy knew better than to slack off. He was running on a treadmill at full speed and panting as he went. The incline was low but that was part of his regiment. He wasn't going to be a moron, straining his body until it collapsed. There was a challenge that afternoon.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"After going undercover yesterday I realized my team doesn't see my strength," Trevor announces while crossing his arms. "With Olga looming over every man, woman, and Warren in this competition I have to fight to make my mark, seems a few others on my team have the same idea… I like it!"

* * *

"Morning pop idol," Phoebe smirked as she entered the gym and drew Trevor's attention towards her.

"Had the same idea as I did huh," Trevor huffed before pressing a few buttons on the treadmill and starting the slowdown cycle. Phoebe just nodded and stepped onto the treadmill next to Trevor. She hit a few buttons and began walking on it while placing her towel down. Trevor directed his own attention forward while Phoebe began to run. He had just slowed down the entire machine when Bryce entered the gym. He took one look at Phoebe and scowled for no apparent reason. Trevor just blinked and stepped off the machine to go find a water fountain while Bryce stepped up onto it and glanced at Phoebe. She was running at a constant pace, one that was a little leisurely. He immediately set the machine with incline steeper and the speed faster than his teammate.

Phoebe didn't even pay him any attention, she just entered the next part of her workout by breaking into a run faster than Bryce. Not wanting to be outdone Bryce turned his machine on higher than hers. He strained to beat his teammate out and watched as she put the speed at a higher rate. Bryce scowled again and sped his up. He ran faster than her and after about five minutes Phoebe slowed her machine down. Bryce smirked triumphantly and within the next ten minutes Phoebe was off her own machine. He had won, she had backed down. Triumphant he proceeded to stumble and be shot off the machine.

With Phoebe defeated Bryce took his position next to Trevor who was lifting weights. He scowled at the heavy weights and loaded on even more for himself. Trevor pumped rhythmically while he strained himself to outdo his teammate. Trevor soon put the weights down and rose to his feet. Bryce smiled in victory before edging his way over to Phoebe again. She was in the process of stretching her body out. As he watched she went down onto the ground and proceeded to plank. He lay down next to her and put on a cocky smile while his teammate eventually dropped herself onto the ground and hauled herself to her feet.

Trevor was then cycling and was easily defeated by Bryce, Phoebe couldn't do as many chin ups as he could, and neither of them could compete with his overwhelming strength when it came to lifting medicine balls. With both of them soundly defeated he knew it was his time. They would no doubt respect him more than ever. He sauntered over as Phoebe was wiping her brow and leaned on a nearby treadmill with a smirk on his face. Phoebe caught sight of this and rolled her eyes.

"If you're looking for a date the answer is no," the blonde growled while pointing at him.

"I bet you guys were pretty impressed by my athleticism today," Bryce yawned while flexing his biceps. "I bet you want me as team captain now…"

"Raina is team captain," Phoebe stated in deadpan before exchanging a look with Trevor.

"Well I have a little knowledge I need to share with you then, Raina made the video contain more of her footage than mine," Bryce explained with a smirk.

"Warren edited our video genius," Phoebe replied while slinging her towel over her shoulder.

"And she told him to do it!" Bryce whined with a stomp of his foot.

"Yeah, she told him to use the best footage," Trevor replied while exchanging a look with Phoebe.

"Come on guys, I'm smarter than her, more charismatic, and I'm the strongest member of the team," Bryce announced while flexing again.

Both his teammates immediately burst out laughing in response and Bryce put a scowl on his face.

"You are not the strongest on the team," Phoebe laughed.

"Oh you think you are?" Bryce asked.

"No," Phoebe replied before pointing behind Bryce. "She is."

Bryce whirled around to see a fourth member of the team in the gym. Olga had entered silently and noticed that Bryce had left his exceptionally heavy weights on the bench. With one hand she picked the entire weight off, removed the heavy cylinders, and put even more on before laying down and beginning to bench press the entire thing effortlessly. No grunts, very little sweat, and large meaty arms bulging with power. Bryce's face flushed and he turned to his teammates and pointed at them with a wavering finger.

"I STILL BEAT YOU TWO!" He shouted before storming out. Phoebe and Trevor just blinked as he left and exchanged looks of confusion.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Beat us?" Phoebe asks with her eyes being pushed up by her cheeks. She begins to snicker and shake her head, "My mom's a physiotherapist and last I checked with her everyone has a unique workout schedule. Running faster than someone else doesn't make you healthier Bryce."

* * *

 **The Whimsical Whales**

* * *

"All done," Brad proclaimed while marching past Natalie. He was practically whistling, pleased he had finished what he was doing so quickly. Natalie immediately felt a sense of urgency and slowness. She picked up the scrub brush and got right into cleaning that toilet. She hurried through the rest of the room only to emerge and be greeted by a pigsty.

"Dude!" She shouted while motioning at the room.

"What?" Brad asked while he sloppily slung the vacuum cord over the appliance. Natalie went wide eyed and lurched forward. It was already too late though and the wire was tangled. Headphone rules, when a cord is slung about sloppily it will knot itself.

"I thought you said you were done!" Natalie exclaimed as she fought with the cord, "Look at the room!"

A littering of crumbs sat near the window, likely from a passenger eating a bag of chips and deciding to dump the crumbs into their mouth. The carpet was askew, the beds were rumpled, and the mirror had been cleaned so poorly it was grimier than when they entered.

"I am," Brad scoffed before Natalie grabbed the front of his shirt and tugged him down to eye level.

"Now I don't care about what kind of home life you have or how little someone cares about your personal cleanliness but we were thirty seconds from winning yesterday because of the reward we got for our hard work," Natalie hissed while glaring at Brad, "Now untangle this cord and start cleaning!"

Brad had a scared look in his eyes when she let him go. She marched back to the bathroom and sprayed the mirror again. The sound of Brad struggling with the cords filled the air as she finished cleaning the counter. Then the uproar of a vacuum filled the air and she peered out again and felt rage spike within her. Brad was just lazily thrusting the vacuum around with no pattern or rhythm to what he was doing. There was no way to tell where he'd been or what he'd cleaned. Natalie just about lost it in response. That _just_ _about_ didn't last long though, as she quickly stormed over, shoved Brad aside, and began vacuuming in his stead while he watched her from the side of the room. Natalie grumbled to herself as she properly vacuumed the floor and shot glares at Brad every few seconds with her teeth grit and her eyes filled with venom.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Why clean something if it's just going to get dirty again. Craziness I say! Plus my mom does all the cleaning back home, I'll find a roommate who wants to clean in university, and then a girlfriend who'll do it for me," Brad lists while lifting a finger with each plan he admits. "Natalie can scrub toilets all she wants but people won't stop using them. It just makes sense to leave something dirty, dirty."

* * *

"Attention all passengers," Chris' voice piped up causing Natalie to turn the vacuum off for a mere second.

"We'll be making landfall in China in approximately an hour, if you have tours planned be prepared," Chris continued while Lucile dropped another load of dishes in front of Stewart and Kiara.

"As for our staff…" Chris trailed while Phoebe took a swing of a water bottle.

"Leave your shoes in your cabins," Chris chuckled while Lara narrowed her eyes and swept her gaze over her team.

* * *

"Welcome to China," Chris announced to the contestants who had gathered before him on the deck of the ship, "Home of the world's largest population, the materials to build solar panels, and Kung Fu masters… Your task today is to prepare for some onboard entertainment this afternoon."

"And what might that be?" Liam asked in a tired tone.

"You guys fighting one another in a no holds barred throw down. Before we get to such a thing I've arranged for each team to become the punching bag of a local martial arts master," Chris explained while the double doors leading to the deck opened and four old Chinese men stepped out with large moustaches that had long grayed out and rippling muscles from years of intense training. "These are your sifu, and you shall address them as sifu. They will guide you through some basic training for tonight's martial arts tournament, basic rules and such. When they're done with you we'll move onto the next part of the challenge. Dismissed."

Chris immediately walked away without so much as another word and the thirty six teens were left standing before the old men who seemed to be in the process of sizing the teams up.

"Old dudes probably don't even speak English," Liam scoffed before the martial artist with the longest moustache raced over and twisted his leg around Liam's. The teen fell backwards with his arms entangled while his team watched with widened eyes.

"You shall address me as Sifu," The old man ordered in a thickly accented voice. His eyes then narrowed so quickly that Liam flinched at the speed.

"Alright Sifu sir, sorry!" Liam grimaced before he was released.

"Take modified fighting stance," The old man ordered before taking a loose footed stance himself with his fists at ready. Liam imitated him while his team watched.

"This is called a high kick," The old man explained before darting forward and raising his foot into the air. It planted right into Liam's chest and he tumbled backwards painfully with a yelp of surprise. The old man stepped back while Liam raised himself to his feet and wavered a little. "And this, this is sun punch."

A fist was then planted into Liam's chest before the old man grabbed him in a tight chokehold using his own arms.

"Now, I can break your bones at any second, this attack is used for self defense. If someone comes forward to punch you-" The old man explained while the team watched.

He wasn't the only one giving an explanation. The elderly man with a completely bald head stood before the Putrid Plankton with his eyes half closed. They all stared at him blinking every few seconds and shuffling their bare feet.

"Before we begin we shall warm up. Begin running laps around the top of this boat," Sifu explained while gazing over the green team, "Once we are properly loosened up we shall begin learning stances."

"You heard the master, start running ladies!" Lara ordered while everyone looked over at her. "NOW!"

The girls immediately took off in the same direction and ran right past The Sinister Sharks who had all lined up in a row before their own master. He'd taken to staying in a single stance with his legs spread and his arms at his sides. It was like halfway down to a squat and might have been painful, no one was sure.

"This is horse stance, it makes up the middle portion to many of the techniques we use in Kung Fu," The old man explained while The Sharks gazed at him, "Throwing punches is only a small portion of the art form. The masters of old could hold this stance for hours, days, weeks even. Take the stance."

"Pssh, this isn't hard," Bryce chuckled as his teammates took the stance next to him. His eyes shot to Phoebe and a smirk crossed his face, "But don't feel bad if you can't keep up, I'm a master at exercise!"

"You there, gloating boy," The master announced while pointing at Bryce. Phoebe had remained completely silent during the entire ordeal and Bryce looked at the master who now loomed over him. The old man stuck his foot out and spread Bryce's legs further apart so they matched Phoebe's. "You are silent during this, do not distract your teammates."

The master then walked past Phoebe and down the rest of the line fixing small flaws in the stances as he went. Bryce just rolled his eyes as this happened. Phoebe caught this and wrinkled her nose in response. The disrespect Bryce was showing was disgusting her.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Bryce will be lucky if he can keep up with me," Phoebe chuckles while running a hand through her hair. "My parents signed me and my sisters up for Kung-Fu when we were kids and we never stopped. Layla specializes in White Crane, Terra's learning Monkey, and me? I'm almost done Leopard…"

* * *

"I believe in learning through doing," The old man before the Whimsical Whales announced. He then pointed a finger at Ryan and a finger at Jason. "You and you, the two of you shall spar one another."

"Okay…" Ryan trailed before rising to his feet, Jason did the same thing and put on a cocky smile.

"Oh this will be fun," Jason laughed while raising his fists. Immediately the master was between them with pursed lips.

"Before a fight one must bow to their opponent and bow to their judge," He explained while Jason eyed Ryan again. The two then bowed to one another and their master before returning their gaze to one another. Jason immediately darted forward and Ryan bent backwards and with a thundering fist landed a heavy punch onto Jason's chest. The boy stumbled and was nearly run over by the Putrid Plankton girls who were passing by short on breath.

"Killer punch on that one," Stephen commented, bringing his hand to his chin as he spoke.

"Maybe we can win this one after all…" Elsa smiled in response.

"Very good," The sifu chuckled, shifting his gaze back and forth between the two boys. "Now, in a real match you would be on a mat, stepping off the mat would mean either lost points or disqualification from the contest…"

While the sifu for the Whimsical Whales explained the rules and regulations of combat the Sinister Sharks continued to hold horse stance, some better than others. Bryce fidgeted uncomfortably while some of his teammates wobbled and grunted. Phoebe remained still to his left and Olga was still to his right. Bryce grit his teeth upon seeing Olga so calm and poised. In his mind he'd bested Trevor and Phoebe. Now he only needed to best her, and that would likely be a problem.

"And we're done," The Sifu announced to a medley of relieved sighs. Bryce rose to his feet and tried to play it off as cool. Unfortunately the break lasted a whole ten seconds. "And now we enter a plank."

The entire team groaned and retook the stance while the Putrid Plankton finished another lap. The girls were mostly wheezing and a few had taken to walking already. After seven laps the Sifu looked the gaggle of girls over and nodded.

"And now, side to side stepping, fists in the air," he ordered to a lot of groaning as the sweat matted girls began prancing with their backs to the center of the ship and their fists in the air. That prancing had nothing on the Creepy Calamari who were all laughing as another intricate hold was displayed to them. Liam was helpless as the old man dumped him on the ground again. His arms, legs, and back were all sore. He groaned and stumbled to his feet before the old man told him to throw another punch.

Liam panted before throwing the punch. His arm was grabbed and he was brought forward. The Sifu explained that he could easily snap Liam's bones in six places while the boy swallowed, fearful that the master would actually perform such a move. Instead he was just dumped on the ground with a grunt again. The Putrid Plankton continued to prance past, the Sinister Sharks continued to hold their plank, and the Whimsical Whales continued with their learning.

After forty solid minutes of running The Putrid Plankton were just about done. As a sweaty Lara crossed past the sifu for what felt like the hundredth time he stopped the girls and stood before them. Every single member was dripping with sweat and a couple collapsed on the ground and groaned.

"And now the warmup can begin," Sifu announced while Lara blinked and fell to her knees.

"Begin?" She asked with her eye twitching.

"Feet apart, rotate your neck," The old man ordered and most of the girls rose to his height. They stood there with their feet planted, hands on their hips, and necks rotating until they were dizzy. Then the old master put on a smile and nodded. Their arms shot out like windmills, their arms were stretched out, and for another twenty minutes they stretched before the old man had them all take modified fighting stance and begin throwing punches in sets of ten. Half the team couldn't even keep up. They just panted and got through two or three punches before taking a step back and wheezing. It didn't get much better when kicks arrived. One by one the girls slumped off leaving only Lara to push herself and keep pace with the old man. Her shirt was absolutely drenched, her muscles ached, and she felt lightheaded. Regardless she wasn't about to allow herself to fall behind.

Liam was meanwhile tossed on the ground, stretched past his extendable limits, and dropped on his back so many times he thought he was going to throw up. He was battered over and over again as the Sifu displayed locks, punches, rolls, and kicks on him. Every punch made him regret his simple comment more and more until eventually he slumped on the ground and groaned. His body was like jelly and he couldn't move. He was just stuck there. Bubba had been laughing a lot but the second the Sifu looked at him and signalled for him to come forward that laugh faded.

Tests of endurance continued for The Sinister Sharks and by now they were practicing in pairs. Bryce blocked blows from Lloyd and watched as Olga and Phoebe ran through the sets perfectly. He frowned heavily and with a shove knocked Lloyd to the ground. Olga couldn't do that, she also didn't get hit on the head by the Sifu in response. Regardless he scowled and continued to think of a way to beat his opponent.

Rules and regulations were handed out again and again to The Whimsical Whales as they all took turns sparring. Piece by piece the complex tournament system was made clear. They tested timed fights, blow based fights, and most importantly learned what not to do in a match. Never argue with the referee, never lose your cool, and never use a cheap move to take down a foe. Pretty simple overall.

"And now warmup is complete," The Putrid Plankton's Sifu announced and finally even Lara couldn't take it anymore and fell on her rump groaning.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Ow," Is all Liam can muster while his legs and arms quiver.

"Last time I checked you need to stop training a new employee eventually" Lara growls.

"So long as we get fair referees we'll be home free," Elsa laughs while planting her hands on her hips.

"My back," Warren groans while rubbing his spine.

* * *

"You guys look like you had fun," Chris chuckled as the sweaty and groaning teens stood around him. "And now it's time to make things even more fun!"

"Oh no," was all Raina could muster in response as Chris burst out laughing.

"For getting the worst reviews on our trip from South Korea to China The Creepy Calamari get a disadvantage," Chris explained while the team groaned, "Sinister Sharks, you and The Putrid Plankton get a very special reward. You each get to choose a fighter for The Creepy Calamari."

"No!" Kiara gasped.

"Yes," Chris replied, "Each team gets to pick four competitors for our martial arts tournament, you will compete in one on one matches. Winner moves on, loser is eliminated. First team to lose all their competitors is out, overall winner wins first class for their entire team. In addition to the already mentioned reward The Whimsical Whales proved to be the best learners. Because of this they'll get to choose five competitors while our worst learners, The Sinister Sharks only get to select three."

"WHAT?!" Raina demanded in shock.

"Your sifu said some of you didn't understand kung fu that well. Martial artists am I right," Chris chuckled before putting his smile back on, "Now pick your teams, and in some cases, your opponent's teams."

"Well I obviously need to compete," Bryce announced as his team clustered together.

"And you're way too competitive, we're running Phoebe, Trevor, and Olga," Raina replied.

"What?!" Bryce asked.

"And we should pick Liam for the Calamari, he looks terrible," Raina continued.

"Whatever you say captain," Phoebe shrugged.

"No wait," Bryce interrupted drawing the eyes of his team. "We should reconsider."

"You're not captain, instead of infighting let's just settle on Raina's plan and go from there," Phoebe growled while glaring at Bryce, "Accept that you weren't picked and run with it."

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Bryce is stronger than Trevor," Phoebe explains, "But he was the entire reason we lost a competing member. I know my martial arts and disrespecting your master and trying to show off will lose you a lot of respect. Whether we win or lose I believe Raina made the right call."

* * *

 **The Putrid Plankton**

* * *

"All right ladies, phase one is complete, now all we have to do is outlast one team and we're golden," Lara announced as her team huddled close together.

"I don't think I'm coordinated enough for this," Bebe admitted while shaking her foot out.

"And I don't want to get my face all bruised up," Yvonne added.

"We're picking the strongest members to play whether they like it or not," Lara growled while her eyes swung over her six teammates, "Anne, Diane, Yvonne, and I will compete, but as for our opponents…"

"Oooh, let's pick Stewart, I bet he weighs fifteen pounds soaking wet," Zilka suggested before Lara held up a finger and shushed her.

"We're picking Frank, the guy will just complain the entire time which will turn his team against him," Lara explained while glancing over at Frank. The boy was watching them from the other side of the room and Lara put on a smirk when they made eye contact.

"I think the Plankton are picking someone to fight," Frank exhaled before turning to face his team again, "This freaking sucks!"

"We at least get to pick two fighters," Kiara agued while putting on a half smile.

"That isn't good enough!" Frank shouted in exasperation, "We can't keep getting this disadvantage, it's keeping us out of first class and eventually it's going to cost us a player."

A low murmur of agreeance rang through the entire team following this. Everyone eyed one another and seemed unsure as to who would be competing and who would be sidelined.

"Okay, the Putrid Plankton are the weakest team here-" Kiara started.

"Unless you count Lara, and knowing our track record we'll have our toughest fighter up against Lara," Frank lamented.

"Bubba, you're the strongest one here, can you handle this?" Kiara asked while pointing at the guy.

"I'm more of a surfer than a fighter," Bubba admitted while motioning to himself.

"Well, you're doing it whether you like it or not," Frank replied while pointing at his teammate. His eyes then scanned the rest of the team before falling on Nadie, "And you."

"Fine," Nadie agreed, "If I wasn't selected already…"

Not far off the Whimsical Whales had also formed a circle and all sported broad grins on their faces.

"We have this in the bag guys, we just need to pick five fighters and I think you should be our number one pick," Elsa stated while pointing at Ryan.

"Eh why not," Ryan replied with a shrug.

"I volunteer!" Jason exclaimed while rising to his feet. Stephen followed him shortly after with a smile on his face. Deek shook his head no prompting Wilma to rise. Eyes fell on Gabriel who shook his head no. Elsa grabbed his arm anyway and thrust him forward.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I don't do gruntwork," Gabriel explains as he crosses his arms and sticks his nose into the air.

* * *

"Round one will consist of eight single point brawls between our competitors," Chris explained into the microphone while grinning at the waiting crowd, "The winner will move onto round two while the loser will be eliminated. First team to run out of players loses the challenge, the winners will be treated to first class passage and gain an advantage to our next destination! Now meet your first competitors. From The Whimsical Whales, RYAN! His opponent, from the Putrid Plankton, DIANE!"

"You got this Ryan!" Elsa shouted before being drowned out by clapping, cheering, and some booing. Ryan grinned from under his strapped on equipment while Diane glowered back with her teeth barred. Chef walked between the two and glanced back and forth between them. Ryan quickly bowed and Diane followed suit before a bell was chimed and they both took ready position. Passengers cheered while chomping on snacks and The Richardson boys began throwing popcorn onto the mat. Ryan stepped over it like it wasn't an issue and the two circled one another knowing full well that the round was sudden death.

Ryan wasn't about to let the air grow stale. He darted forwards and Diane blocked a massive punch. His left hand coursed forward after it and a quick and heavy body shot landed on Diane's side. She stumbled backwards as Chef blew a whistle. Her stomach hurt now and she groaned as Ryan soaked in the cheering from the crowd with absolute glee.

The two were quickly replaced as Phoebe from The Sinister Sharks was introduced in one corner and Bubba from The Creepy Calamari was introduced in the other. The blonde flicked her hair back and gave a curt bow to Chef and then her foe. Bubba cracked his neck and took an equally low stance. A bell was chimed and the two began to circle one another. Phoebe however, quickly shifted her feet and switched direction catching Bubba off guard. It only took a second of that lowered Guard for Phoebe to step in and land a powerful kick onto Bubba's chest. He stumbled backwards rather dumbfounded while Phoebe winked and him and proceeded to bow.

Wilma from the Whimsical Whales was next. She was buff, tough looking, and was leering at Lara from The Putrid Plankton. Lara rolled her shoulders and narrowed her eyes at her foe before lowering her stance and balling her fists tightly. The bell chimed and Wilma immediately went in for the attack. Lara dodged a punch to the left, another punch to the right and ducked under a high sweep from Wilma's leg. She balled her fist tightly and quickly nailed Wilma right in the hip. The whistle was blown and Chef held his hand up signalling a point.

"THAT WASN'T EVEN A BODY SHOT REF!" Elsa shouted at Chef while waving her fist at him.

"Looked legal to me," Deek shrugged before receiving a glare from Elsa in return.

Frank and Stephen were the next duo up to the plate. Stephen was tall and broad shouldered while Frank was scrawny and slim from a variety of experimental diets. The Creepy Calamari began to cheer Frank's name while a sizable portion of the crowd booed him. Stephen meanwhile grinned at his foe and stretched his back muscles. He may not have taken any martial arts classes before but he definitely knew a thing or two about sports, even if they were combat based.

The bell was chimed and Frank grimaced as Stephen reared back and with a single punch caused Frank to dodge backwards and step off the map. A whistle was blown and the bell chimed again signaling the round was over. The crowd cheered while Frank sighed. Mrs. Richardson quickly rose to her feet and threw a paper cup at Frank. The lid came off and he was splattered with sticky and syrupy liquid that made him gag.

The floor was still sticky when Gabriel and Trevor approached one another. Gabriel gagged as his foot touched the ground and he glanced at Trevor who was at least a head taller than him and athletically built. He had been in boy scouts for so long it was ridiculous. The bell chimed and Trevor wasted no time in charging the boy from the Whale team. Gabriel shrieked and fell to the ground covering his body tightly.

"GABE DOWN! GABE DOWN!" he cried out before Trevor poked him with a single barren big toe.

"OH COME ON! THE FLOOR WAS STICKY ON OUR SIDE!" Elsa shouted before Chef blew the whistle and glared at her. She clamped her mouth shut and took her seat again while Olga and Liam approached the mat.

Olga towered over her opponent, her shoulders were twice as broad as his body and all that exercise had done very little to drain her of her energy. Liam had a decent athletic build with an emphasis on his upper body. However he was severely battered from being used as a practice dummy and was already panting and stiff. Olga spread her grin over her face and glanced at The Sinister Sharks. They all cheered and Raina gave her teammate a thumbs up.

The bell chimed and Olga chuckled, beginning to circle Liam. Her opponent panted and followed her. Left to fight from his team was Nadie. If he lost this there was no guarantee that his team would even make it past round one. The giant of a girl before him continued to circle before lurching forward with lightning speed. A fist careened towards his head and he scowled before recalling a move the Sifu had demonstrated on him. He immediately ducked and rushed her. A series of punches were landed on her belly before the two split apart with the blow of a whistle. Chef pointed at Liam and Raina felt her jaw drop.

"Way to go… _Captain_ ," Bryce snarled while shooting daggers at Raina.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Oh boy," Raina exhales while running a hand through her hair, "I picked Liam to fight and just got our best competitor eliminated from the game… They're all going to doubt me now. Bryce is going to talk and they're going to find out Warren cheated and eliminate me…"

* * *

"What kind of leader sabotages her own team?" Bryce demanded before sweeping his gaze across his teammates. "I told you we should have picked someone else and let me compete!"

"Hey!" Phoebe exclaimed while stomping over with gear still over her face, "Liam was beat up and tired looking, there's no way she could have known he would best Olga."

"Yeah," Olga agreed as she approached the team. "Dude looked exhausted."

"But she-" Bryce started.

"Raina is the team captain, we follow her judgement and work together to solve problems when things go south, so instead of blaming her for something she didn't do how about you suck up your pride and accept that we didn't pick you because you cost us a player in this challenge," Phoebe growled before turning to Raina.

"Right…" Raina trailed while avoiding eye contact and scratching her arm. "I'm the leader…"

While The Sinister Sharks bickered Anne and Jason stepped forward. Jason put on a flashy grin while Anne stared at him silently.

"Don't worry princess, I won't hurt you too much," Jason chuckled while patting his arm, "Old biceps here won me the tug of war at school six years running and they'll help me win this challenge and this game."

The bell chimed and the mahogany locked Plankton player and the dark skinned Whale boy began circling each other. Jason hopped to and fro and couldn't sit still like he was in a video game. Anne just watched him with extreme patience. Jason made fake moves forward and would back up chuckling to himself like he was clever. Anne just stared at him in deadpan and readied her fist. Jason made another fake punch and she quickly batted his arm away and stepped forward lifting her other foot as she advanced. Her foot hit his chest and Jason stumbled backwards with bafflement written upon his face. The whistle was blown and Anne had her hand raised.

"WHAT GAME ARE YOU WATCHING REF! SHE CLEARLY HIT HIS HAND AWAY!" Elsa shouted while bashing the railing with her fists.

"I think that's allowed," Deek commented as Elsa sat down in a huff.

The final match of the first round saw Nadie and Yvonne approach one another. They gave a bow and both stepped back. Yvonne put on a smile recalling her stunt training from a few weeks prior while Nadie paced past her step by step. Yvonne knew all the moves. She stepped forward and brought her fist close to Nadie. To the camera it looked like a hit but to Chef it was a clean miss that Nadie responded to by bashing Yvonne so hard in the gut that the child star crumpled on the ground and groaned in agony.

The whistle was blown while Yvonne dragged herself to her team.

"We're not acting moron," Lara commented.

"Noted," Yvonne groaned in response.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Maybe playing Evelynn Rose will be harder than I… um… Nevermind," Yvonne trails. "We, uh, had stunt choreographers on _Lasting Days_ … Yeah, that's it. Sitcom with fight scenes, totally happened."

* * *

"Round two will consist of four battles. First competitor to two points moves onto the third," Chris announced to the remaining eight competitors, "As it stands we have two contestants from each team still in it. We could potentially see all four in the next round."

The first two on the mat were Ryan and Phoebe. The boy from The Whimsical Whales was about the same size as Phoebe. They were clearly evenly matched from an outside view but both had talents the other couldn't even begin to predict. Phoebe was light on her feet and Ryan was matching her. They circled one another for a few seconds before Phoebe darted in and swung a kick over Ryan's head. He ducked under it and immediately launched in for a grapple, something Phoebe wasn't prepared for. Ryan had fought defensively last round but now he was playing like a whole new competitor. The whistle was blown when she was released and Ryan had scored the first of two points. He cracked his neck and leered at her before taking a low stance again.

He was aggressive and immediately boxed Phoebe into a corner. She narrowed her eyes and when he cut even more space off she jumped forward, hit the ground, and rolled right under his arms. She popped up behind him in the blink of an eye and landed a swift kick, powered by momentum, to his back. Ryan fell to the mat in shock and hit the ground with his mouth agape. Phoebe waited for him to get up but rage was boiling in the boy.

"THAT WASN'T FAIR!" He roared while unclipping the helmet on his head and hurling it aside. Chef blew his whistle and pointed at it, but Ryan just kicked the helmet at Chef and stormed off the mat. He undid his gloves as he went and tossed them aside angrily while shouting about cheating. Chef blew his whistle signaling that Phoebe had just won the round while Elsa stood up.

"HEY! SHE ONLY SCORED ONE POINT!" Elsa shouted.

"If I hear another shout from you I will disqualify your last fighter!" Chef shouted back while taking on a no nonsense face that made Elsa shut up and sit back down.

Their next fighter was on the floor pretty much immediately. Stephen stepped up and grinned at his opponent, Lara. She took a ready stance and the bell was quickly chimed. Stephen was a guy who competed in marathons while Lara simply had a part time job and had no time for such nonsense. Stephen was the more physical of the two and that was clear, but Lara was smaller and could get low easier. This proved to be an advantage because Stephen heavily favoured punches and blocks. She sidestepped a punch and had her own retaliation blocked. She backed into a corner and Stephen charged her again, once again heavily favouring his upper body. She sidestepped again and he blocked two punches from her before landing one right on her chest. The whistle blew and Lara felt a smirk crawl over her face despite her loss.

The bell chimed again and Stephen began to attack in the same way as before. Any punch she threw was blocked and he only threw punches. She had him back her into a corner and sent out two quick punches that he knocked to the side. She didn't hesitate. Her foot went up and bashed right into his stomach seconds before his fist landed on her own chest. Chef blew the whistle and awarded a point to Lara. Something Elsa wasn't having.

"WHAT GAME ARE YOU WATCHING?!" Elsa demanded while standing up and glaring at Chef. He blew his whistle hard in response and the entire crowd fell silent. He then reached over and held up Lara's hand signalling she was moving on.

"Well," Chris chuckled as Stephen walked away from the mat, "Thanks to Ryan quitting and Elsa getting her teammate disqualified, The Whimsical Whales will see me at elimination tonight."

"WHAT?!" Elsa demanded before trying to step off the bleachers to charge at Chris. She was grabbed by Natalie and Erin and floundered at Chris with profanities escaping her mouth. Chris simply turned his attention away and back to the game at hand without another word.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Chef clearly cut a deal with the other teams," Elsa scoffs, "He's done it before and I know for a fact we earned all of those points!"

* * *

Trevor and Liam were next on the mat. The stakes had just been severely lowered but that wasn't about to stop the teams from trying. Each and every one wanted that first class passage, to have an advantage in the future, and light a fire beneath their team. Liam wasn't up against an overwhelmingly large opponent this time and Trevor was out for revenge. His team cheered him on while The Creepy Calamari cheered behind Liam desperate to get at least one competitor into the next round.

The bell was rung and Trevor immediately darted forward and swung a leg at Liam. The boy jumped back before delivering a punch to Trevor's side and causing a whistle to be blown. Trevor slid to a halt and looked up with barred teeth. The Korean boy took a fighting stance again and Liam let his body relax. Just like Olga, Trevor favoured an offensive approach, he had to play the opposite role and he was fine with that. He'd been in fights before and no amount of noodle limb was going to let him fall.

The two boys continued to circle one another with faux advances coming from Trevor. He faked left, then right, then right again. No pattern was established but it was clearly buildup. Raina had her teeth clenched tightly as she watched the match, worrying that perhaps her choice of Liam would make her team doubt her more. The Creepy Calamari meanwhile watched with baited breath. Trevor faked right again, then swung left. Liam dodged and swung his leg around landing a clean shot onto Trevor's side. The boy from The Sharks stumbled and the whistle was blown signalling that the round had ended in Liam's favour.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I'm dead, they'll all realize Bryce's suggestion would have won us the challenge," Raina rambles while clutching her head.

* * *

Anne and Nadie took their positions on the mat. Either The Creepy Calamari or the Putrid Plankton would walk into round three with two players against the Shark's one. Nadie was the tougher looking of the two. She lived in the countryside, walked to school, and spent her weekends walking around the forest with her dogs. Anne meanwhile spent her time as close to anthills, spider webs, and worms and didn't move as much. So she was scrawnier and had a lot less stamina. She was honestly running off the adrenaline of already winning a round and hoped to make it two.

The bell chimed and Nadie immediately launched into an attack. A test to see if Anne would finch or not, something she learned from her brothers. Anne indeed flinched and Nadie quickly landed a heavy blow to her gut, just like she had done to Yvonne the round prior. Anne reeled back as Nadie got the point and her head went up and her eyes narrowed. They drifted down to her feet noticing that Nadie would slide her leg out when taking position, likely a habit from spending her summer's fishing and being forced to plant herself when reeling in the bigger catches. She was more accustomed to getting a strong foothold over remaining on a mat.

The bell chimed and once again Anne was charged, except this time she dodged to the right and swung around. Nadie immediately planted her feet and her left foot went right off the mat and touched the ground. Chef blew his whistle and pointed at Anne signaling the Redhead had gained a point. Nadie glanced down at her foot and took on a furious expression before the next round began. She charged Anne and the girl tried the same tactic except this time Nadie turned with her and with a quick kick knocked the redhead right off the mat. Anne tumbled to the floor with a thump and Chef blew his whistle signalling that Nadie had indeed won. She smirked at Anne and stepped off the mat while Chris returned.

"Lara, Phoebe, Liam, and Nadie…" Chris trailed while glancing at the four remaining fighters. "First player to three points in round three wins a spot in the finals. If both Nadie and Liam win The Creepy Calamari will automatically be given first class passage to our next destination."

Liam and Nadie exchanged a grin at this while Lara and Phoebe exchanged a look that quickly hardened into determination. The bell was chimed and Phoebe stepped forward and was matched by Nadie. The girl had just successfully knocked two of her opponents out and sported a rather cocky grin, something Phoebe narrowed her eyes at. They both took modified fighting stance and began circling one another. After three steps Nadie lurched forward with a fist. Phoebe batted it away and kicked Nadie's other arm aside. She then stepped forward, wrapped her arms around her foe, and with a thud dropped Nadie on the ground. The girl lost her breath as Phoebe stepped back and the bell was chimed. She climbed back to her feet while grumbling and balled her fists again. They began to circle again and Nadie led once again. However, halfway through a step Phoebe launched a kick, Nadie stepped backwards only to have Phoebe pivot when her thrown foot hit the ground and launch another that collided with her side.

Phoebe backed off and Nadie cracked her head from side to side with her lips pursed. Phoebe didn't move at all. The bell chimed again and for once Phoebe lurched forward. Nadie threw a protective punch but Phoebe twisted around it and rolled under her arm popping up behind her and landing a punch to the back of Nadie's left shoulder. She collapsed and Chef blew his whistle signalling that Phoebe had won a spot in the finals. Nadie pounded the mat angrily when this happened.

Liam and Lara were up next. Liam was still sore and tired but had definitely found his rhythm. Meanwhile, Lara had the motivation of winning for her entire team on her back and was rolling her shoulders in preparation. The bell chimed and she launched at Liam. A single punch flew forward and hit him square in the chest. He didn't block or make a move. The whistle was blown and Lara fell back. She then attempted the same thing, her fist thundered forward and instead of taking it Liam dodged and thrust a fist right into Lara's padded chest. She groaned as pain shot through her left breast, a numbing sensation from the heavy blow of Liam's knuckles. She narrowed her eyes and waited. The whistle was blown and she charged forward, feigning once and throwing a kick at Liam. He knocked her off balance with a single bat and another harsh blow was thrust into her chest. She rubbed the padding and barred her teeth while rising to her feet.

Liam held his hands out with a smirk, a broad opening. She gave a roar and charged him only to watch in horror as he sidestepped her and her foot hit the ground beyond the mat. Chef blew his whistle and she collapsed to her knees while Liam chuckled behind her.

The final round followed the same rules, first player to three points won the challenge, Phoebe and Liam faced off on the mat while the crowd cheered and booed at them depending on preference. Phoebe's blue eyes stared right into Liam's brown ones and both players held a look of determination on their face. Chef glanced back and forth between them before giving a blow on his whistle and throwing his hand down. Both players took Modified fighting stance and began to circle looking for an opening. Liam watched Phoebe closely, he studied the way her hips moved, the way she held her hands, and in particular the way she held her left leg, a previous break was obvious to him. Something that had long healed but still left hesitation. Phoebe meanwhile found an opening and took it. A kick was planted on Liam's chest and he stepped back with renewed confidence in his body.

The way she stepped signalled a broken leg, her left hand was a little slower than her right likely a dislocated shoulder at some point. Even the way she held her face signalled some kind of facial trauma. Now that he looked closely the blonde definitely had a messed up eye, her left was squinted more than his right, likely from getting hit by something hard in the face as a child. Something that had given her a swollen eye. Ancient and faded surgery scars sat on her face and a number of similar scars lined the left side of her chest. Sweat had clung to her clothing and Liam immediately knew where to hit. He feigned at her face, stepped to the right and with a powerful punch hit her right in the chest near those scars. Some kind of cut had existed there in the past, probably from getting mangled in a bike or a car accident. He wasn't sure but regardless Phoebe stepped back with grit teeth and glared at the observant opponent before her.

Liam was exhausted. The sifu had clearly hurt his right leg, he had a sore back and was slow to bend down and stand up. Sweat was pouring from him in an exhausted manner. Phoebe took note of it all and narrowed her eyes before stepping forward and swinging her leg at Liam. He batted it aside and had his hand up to block her punch before his spare hand collided with her chest. She slid back with bared teeth knowing full well what Liam was doing. The slight misstep of her left leg, broken when she was rammed on the basketball court in eighth grade, the old break on her arm, the left eye. He knew about her fighting style, he knew about her weaknesses, but he didn't know her.

Her heart began to beat rapidly as she took her stance. She stayed in place, she didn't move, Liam would have to come to her. He raised an eyebrow in surprise and immediately strode forward. He was prepared for a kick or a punch but instead he had his fist grabbed and twisted until he fell to the ground seconds from it being broken. Then and only then did she raise a foot and poke his back with a big toe. Liam stood up after she let go and glared at her. She stared back at him with a deadly serious look. No one took advantage of her past injuries, no one got away with exploiting her, and no one struck her chest like he did. Her heart was beating at a rapid fire pace as adrenaline built up inside her and her blood began to pump. The bell chimed and she leapt into the air. A leg was swung at Liam so quickly that he didn't know what to do. It collided with his body and he stumbled to the side while she rose to her feet. The impact had been completely absorbed by her bad leg. Moves like that had hurt at first but now she knew how to move the pressure around.

They were tied now and it all came down to the final point. She balled her fists and took modified fighting stance while Liam imitated her. They circled each other for a few seconds. Liam's eyes staring into hers. He feigned left again, his fist going for her face, and his other going for her chest. She flinched aside but followed through. She turned and instead of some fancy blow or intense move a simple sun punch made contact with Liam's chest and the whistle blew. They remained locked like that for a few seconds, sweat pouring down their faces and bodies contorted together.

"Good job," Liam muttered.

"You too," Phoebe panted before they separated.

"The Sinister Sharks win again!" Chris announced while the entire team burst into cheering. The Creepy Calamari meanwhile sighed and Stewart hammered his fist on the wall in anger. Chris didn't loiter on the winners for long though. He quickly turned his attention to The Whimsical Whales, who seemed to want to avoid eye contact. "Whimsical Whales, pick your favorite loser and meet me on the rear deck tonight."

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I know exactly who lost us the challenge today," Gabriel announces while crossing his arms, "And their departure will make our team so much stronger."

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

"I am so sorry about today," Raina apologized as she walked back towards the first class cabin beside Phoebe.

"What are you sorry about?" Phoebe asked while running a towel behind her ear.

"Well, I kind of picked Liam to fight and he ended up in the finals…" Raina trailed. Phoebe just laughed in response catching Raina a little off guard.

"Look, the guy may have noticed all my old wounds but I still kicked his butt. Even I thought he looked weak," Phoebe chuckled before exhaling deeply. "Don't get so paranoid Raina, you're the team captain and we'll follow you through good and bad."

The duo then reached the first class doors and entered the large suite equipped with a television and several rooms that had mostly been occupied by The Sharks. Phoebe immediately broke off towards the bathroom while Raina turned her head towards the television. Warren was already there flipping through the collection of available movies and television shows the ship offered. Raina leapt over the couch and landed next to him, glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching as she went. Warren was shocked by her appearance but after a few seconds of screaming he quieted down and simply blinked.

"We're dead," Raina commented with panic in her voice.

"We're not dead Raina," Warren replied before turning his attention back to the television.

Raina grabbed his shirt and pulled him close to her face with her eyes wide and filled with fear. "Bryce has a place to start gaining momentum with. It's only a matter of time before they find out you cheated."

"Relax," Warren replied while batting Raina's hand away. "Every time we win a challenge people associate that win with your leadership. The longer we go the more solidified you become as the leader. No matter what Bryce does he won't be able to topple that."

"Are you sure?" Raina asked with worry.

"Positive," Warren replied with a nod of his head before patting Raina's hand. She released him and exhaled before standing up and walking towards the balcony. She gave a deep breath before stepping outside into the evening air.

The cruise ship was moving again, wind coursed over the deck and seabirds called as they flew alongside it. It was calming her and that calmness probably would have remained if the door hadn't closed behind her and she hadn't found herself alone on the deck with Bryce.

"They're going to be so pissed when they find out about your cheating. They'll realize I should be the leader," Bryce commented while Raina swallowed and attempted to ignore him. "Getting scared yet?"

"N-no…" Raina trailed while sucking in a deep breath. "Warren cheated, not me…"

"Do you really think they'll believe that?" Bryce asked while narrowing his eyes. "You're on a timer Raina, and every mistake you make shortens that fuse."

"Shut up," Raina ordered while continuing to avoid eye contact.

Bryce just huffed in response before opening the door and slamming it behind him. Raina simply continued to stare at the sunset with her eyes quivering in fear, despite no one seeing she knew Bryce was aware of her fear.

* * *

 **The Whimsical Whales**

* * *

Night had fallen when The Whimsical Whales made their way over the deck for the first time. They edged around the abandoned and eerily quiet deck while the ocean roared below them, hungry for another contestant. They marched up to the rear deck, blocked off by interns, and trooped in one by one to the small pool that lay there. A kid had vomited into it earlier that day and a few members of the team had been hard at work scrubbing it off. Instead of annoyance it filled the team with dread, especially since it was lit by blue light and cast everyone in heavy shadows.

Chris stood there, illuminated by the pool with a platter with nine of the cheap mints they were shouted at for stealing when on room cleaning duty. They just went on the pillows, that was it. But like many immunity symbols before them the mere idea of a mundane object filled most of the team with anticipation and dread.

"Welcome to your first eliminated ceremony Whimsical Whales. I guess the Sharks really are the dominant team this season," Chris mused, "I mean, four first place wins? Those guys are on fire… But you guys… you guys stunk today."

"No, your referee was unfairly giving an advantage to the other teams," Elsa replied through grit teeth.

"Keep telling yourself that," Chris chuckled before his eyes swept over the team. "Second round, you guys lost because one player quit and the other shouted at Chef…"

All eyes turned towards Elsa and Ryan who also exchanged a small look before turning back to Chris.

"It seems you guys have an idea of what went wrong, more than I can say for another team," Chris chuckled. "Let's get this over with and vote."

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I vote for Ryan, only because I can't vote for Chef," Elsa growls before dropping Ryan's passport.

Deek stares at the passports before him before stamping Ryan's with a slow motion. "Dude's aura is clouded, he needs to chill…"

"I could have won today if it wasn't for Elsa," Stephen announces before he stamps the girl's passport. "I fully expect you to call foul play on your elimination too…"

"If Elsa's voting for me then I'm voting for Elsa," Ryan announces while smacking the stamper onto Elsa's passport.

Erin scratches his head while gazing between the passports before him with pursed lips. The camera cuts to static before he stamps anything.

* * *

"The following players are safe," Chris announced while raising the first mint into the air. "Brad, Deek, and Erin…"

The three guys caught their respective mints with all eyes on them. Everyone then turned their gaze back to Chris to find the host had picked up more of the cheap items.

"Gabriel, Jason," Chris continued, tossing the mints to the players as he went. "Natalie, Stephen, and Wilma…"

All eyes then gravitated towards Elsa and Ryan. Ryan tapped his foot impatiently while Elsa glared at Chris, daring him to eliminate her. The host raised the final mint into the air. The foil danced with watery blue waves and Chris gazed across the two with tight lips. "The final mint of the night goes to…

…

…

…

… Elsa," Chris concluded while the girl caught the mint in her hands. Ryan scowled and stood up. A venomous glare ran over his teammates before he shoved Deek aside and stormed towards the lifeboat of losers. He climbed in and glared at his teammates while Chris released the boat and sent the teen hurling towards the ocean. A loud splash filled the air and Chris turned to the remaining teenagers with a grin on his face, almost like he was excited to send someone into the waves already and hoped it would be another red team member.

The team glanced at one another, now short Ryan and quickly turned towards the top deck. They marched past the interns and walked down the stairs to the crew quarters where one by one they all changed and slipped into their beds while their opponents watched with prying eyes, trying to figure out who had just been eliminated. When all was settled everyone fell asleep in the rocking of the cruise liner, and thirty five sleeping bodies dreamt while the boat headed southwards to the next destination on the world cruise.


	6. Stalagmites and Stalactites

**Total Drama Ocean Cruise**

 **Chapter VI: Stalagmites and Stalactites**

 **Written By The Firebending Frog**

* * *

Per the norm the first sound the girls heard in the morning was the loud screech of an alarm over the intercom. Every occupant of the ladies side of the lower bunks groaned at the noise. Nadie pulled a pillow over her head while Elsa let out an exasperated sigh. What was out of the norm was the absolute stiffness Sophie felt when she stood up. Her leg immediately cramped and she fell to the floor cringing in pain while sucking in air through her teeth. Every muscle was sore and she felt like crying, something the shadow looming over her wasn't empathetic to.

"Get up!" Lara ordered before dragging Sophie to her feet. That only made the cramp worse. The muscle under the skin was literally indented and Sophie cried out in pain while Lara rolled her eyes and pulled the blanket off Anne, took Yvonne's pillow and hit her in the head with it, and proceeded to shout until everyone had gotten out of bed. All six girls stood in rank and file before Lara with blurry eyes while the teen scanned over them venomously.

The girls from The Creepy Calamari and Whimsical Whales quickly vacated the room, not at all prepared for another tirade to escape Lara's mouth. The second they were gone, Lara opened her mouth. Out of it flowed a series of insults that included putting on smiles for the customers, ditching their tired act, and making sure they took quick showers. Sophie felt her eye twitch halfway through the bout of orders, something Lara wasn't about to let fly.

"Got something to say?!" Lara demanded while looming over Sophie.

"Yeah, maybe I do," Sophie snapped in her overtired state.

"I'm all ears," Lara hissed and Sophie felt her eyes narrow at the one who had made her life over the last few days' complete misery.

"Well then, listen for once," Sophie replied while staring at Lara with wide and displeased eyes. "You know, instead of ordering us around like a dictator!"

"Without me we'd have lost all five of the previous challenges," Lara retorted

"Last I checked two out of five is a _failing_ grade," was the reply that earned Sophie a shove. She landed on her rump while the taller girl loomed over her. Sophie narrowed her eyes, everything blurry without her glasses. She scrambled to her feet and leered at Lara, "I'm done listening to you! I'm sick of you running us like slaves and making us suck up to these awful passengers! Next time we lose I'm voting for you!"

"Hah! Well, your little victory will be short lived," Lara growled while crossing her arms. "You think you hold power, you're just a slacker with her head stuck in the clouds. Bebe is more useful than you are!"

"Hey!" Bebe whined before a glare from Lara shut her up.

"Sophie is the weak link ladies," Lara announced while swinging her gaze across her entire team, "I think you can all rest easy knowing that there's at least one elimination between you and our next loss. But let me make this absolutely clear, anyone caught helping her drag this team down will share her fate. NOW GET TO THE SHOWERS!"

The rest of the girls immediately took off running in fear, leaving Lara and Sophie alone. Sophie glowered at Lara and Lara returned the gaze with hate written in her eyes. She then turned her head to the side and walked away with her lips pursed.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"First rule of the workplace, the customer is always right," Lara explains before placing her hands on her knees. "And the second rule is to always listen to your boss, in other words, me."

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

"Everything is painful," Warren groaned as he stumbled out of his room and collapsed on the couch where Renee sat sketching something.

"Good morning to you too," Renee replied without looking away from her sketch.

"Limbs feel like jelly, need ice pack," Warren moaned while Raina approached him from behind.

"Aw, baby's not used to exercise," Raina laughed before patting Warren on the back and entering a circular rubbing motion that was like heaven. Somehow Raina knew exactly where to run her hands over to ease the tension. It was pure bliss.

"Ooh… Don't stop that," Warren sighed while his eyes drooped.

"Not even for an ice pack?" Raina asked in a sweet tone while leaning close to Warren.

"Mmmm… Okay," Warren agreed before Raina's magical hands stopped and she trotted away. He was left in silence for a few seconds with only the sound of Renee's sketching to keep him company. The remote was a little too far away and the pulsing stiffness of his body only made him lazier than normal. He reached for it but found his arm wasn't long enough. His fingers extended almost like he would move the remote to him in a psychic fashion but once again nothing happened.

"Yeah, I don't think that will impress Raina," Renee pointed out, drawing Warren's eyes with her comment. "And I don't think the lack of showering will help either."

"Impress Raina? I don't need to impress Raina," Warren replied with a confident tone lining his voice.

"Really, you don't want to impress the girl who rubbed your back, offered to get you an ice pack, and treats you with respect?" Renee questioned without breaking eye contact with her drawing.

"Hah, jokes on you, Raina is already smitten by me," Warren chuckled before a smirk came over Renee's face and she pointed with a pencil over the back of the couch. Warren groaned and with a little strain managed to pull himself up to see Raina standing near Trevor, who was rubbing his arm like it was stiff.

"Aw, you did so good yesterday, take it easy today," Raina smiled before handing the ice pack meant for Warren to Trevor. Warren felt a gasp overcome his body and he slunk down next to Renee with his mouth agape.

"I can't compete with Trevor! He has muscles, and nice hair… and muscles!" Warren exclaimed while Renee shook her head and clicked her teeth.

"Well like you said, you don't need to impress Raina," Renee replied with a shrug.

"NO!" Warren exclaimed before reaching over and grabbing Renee by the shirt. "What do I do?!"

"I don't know," Renee asked with a shrug. "What did you do to win her over in the first place?"

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Cheat…" Warren trails. "I cheated…"

* * *

 **The Whimsical Whales**

* * *

"I think she should have gone home yesterday," Stephen muttered as he eyed Elsa cleaning a table not far away. "I could have at least outlasted one of the other teams."

"I hear you man," Erin agreed before turning the blender off. Both boys immediately lowered their voices in response to the lack of white noise. Their team walked around the deck handing out drinks and food while the boys manned the smoothie bar. The vote had definitely been split the night before and the last thing they wanted to do was throw all their eggs in a basket, unless of course they figured out who had voted with them.

"She screwed things up for us in Vancouver too. I doubt she'll stop. At least Ryan could lift things, even with that temper on him," Stephen ranted in a hushed tone. His eyes drifted down to the stain he was wiping away and he frowned beginning to work it harder while Erin overfilled a glass and groaned as the cold and sticky beverage ran down his fingers. He hurried to the sink and turned the tap on only to find the water was still scalding. He yelped in surprise and tripped over his own feet grabbing a tea towel as he fell and pulling a blender down with it. The entire thing spilled over his head while his teammate watched, somewhat numb to Erin's clumsiness and bad luck by this point.

Further conversation was ceased when Elsa herself walked over with dirty dishes. An air of silence wafted over the boys as she took her dishes off the platter and walked away. Their silence was all the confirmation she needed. They'd both voted for her the night prior. That sickening feeling she had felt in Vancouver immediately returned as she wandered past the pool to another dirty table. She collected dishes while keeping her head low and her mouth shut. The reality that she was a single vote from being cast out to sea filled her with dread. She knew she was a useful teammate. She had gotten perfect grades in school, always got praise from her piano teacher, and her coaches always put her on the starting lineup. She doubted Wilma, Natalie, and Deek had that kind of track record.

And yet there she was worried out of her mind and cleaning plates off tables. Every evaluation form with a less than perfect score made her scowl. They were all graded by ignorant customers who didn't understand good service when they got it. She'd gone her whole life without receiving bad reviews for anything she'd done. It was only on the cruise ship that she saw such horrible tastes and bloated expectations.

 _Bad attitude_? That was crazy talk. They must have been like all those egregious substitute teachers she got, crazy people who would criticize her behaviour but never sub again. That kind of commenting came from ignoramuses and only made the morons she was serving look all the dumber. If Stephen and Erin wanted to shove the same stupidity in her face they may as well get eliminated. The only problem with that was she had no allies. Her entire team was blaming her for their loss instead of the awful refereeing. She could feel Gabriel's eyes glaring at her from where he leaned against the railing checking his nails for flaws.

"You know, you could help," Elsa commented as she lifted her full tray up.

"I could also be in first class, but you had to screw things up," Gabriel replied while leaning forward with a scowl on his face. "I'm not some ratty peasant, travelling in first class is the bare minimum this competition could offer me. Father wouldn't have let me come here if he knew I wasn't getting first rate accommodations."

Elsa just rolled her eyes in response and walked away leaving Gabriel to watch her go with pursed lips. He returned to checking his nails over for flaws while his teammates continued to clean. He wasn't lying when he said he didn't work. Something that Wilma took notice of when she emerged onto the top deck.

"You could help you know," Wilma growled before Gabriel shook his head with a chuckle.

"Tell me Wilma, who did you vote for last night?" Gabriel asked.

"Why does it matter?" She asked with annoyance still lining her voice. It was clear she was still bitter about losing out the day before.

"Precisely, if we had eliminated Elsa we would be complaining about Ryan right now," Gabriel mused before a chuckle escaped his lips and he shook his head, "I say we use Elsa's impending elimination as a safety net and try to compete head to head with The Sinister Sharks today."

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Getting into first class is the least I deserve," Gabriel explains with a motion to his body, "Last night reminded me that allies are valuable in this game. We will lose again and when that happens I want to be in the good books of as many people as I possibly can, and nothing brings people together more than gossip."

* * *

"What was she like last night?" Gabriel asked while his gaze fell on Wilma.

"She went to bed," Wilma replied in deadpan.

"Was she searching for answers? Perhaps finding someone to blame?" Gabriel asked as his left eyebrow raised.

"Well… She was avoiding eye contact in the shower room this morning," Wilma commented while scratching her chin.

"Think she's picked you as a scapegoat?" Gabriel asked.

"What?! No!" Wilma replied with a huff before walking away.

"And the seeds of doubt are planted," Gabriel smirked.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"She was just awkward or something… Unless…" Wilma trails with her eyes going wide, "Does Gabe know something? Did she talk to him? He hasn't talked with me before so maybe she did. Oh man this is bad, I haven't really shown my strength to my team. Then again, that might not even matter seeing as we were all too willing to vote our strongest player out… Oh boy…"

* * *

 **The Creepy Calamari**

* * *

"What are you so happy about?" Liam demanded as he dumped a trash can out into a cart. Louise was whistling as he emptied the recycling and chuckle came over his face.

"We're nearing The Philippines," Louise replied before motioning to himself, "And I speak fluent Filipino."

"What if we just float past it?" Liam asked as plastic wrappers, cups, and a diaper fell into the garbage filling the air with a rank garbage smell.

"Not likely. Chris won't pass up a chance to visit a massive tourist destination. The Philippines are famous for their subterranean rivers," Louise replied with a wave of his hand.

"May I remind you that the last guy who predicted our visit to a country got eliminated in that country," Liam explained while averting his eyes.

"But Jules could hardly speak Japanese. I am a linguist," Louise replied before finding Liam right in his face.

"You may have forgotten about Alaska, but I haven't little man," Liam growled while grabbing Louise by the uniform. He then shoved him to the ground and began wheeling his cart away leaving Louise to rub his chest.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"That was quite the adverse reaction," Louise comments before a smirk comes over his face. "Starting the second I mentioned subterranean rivers. Since Liam does not show any fear regarding the ocean I can only assume the smells, confinement, and darkness of caves is a fear. Since he seems adamant to hold to his plans to eliminate Stewart and I, perhaps I should use this weakness to my advantage."

* * *

"Attention all passengers," Chris' voice rang through the speaker system drawing Wilma's eyes off Elsa and up into the air.

"We'll be arriving in The Philippines soon," The speaker system continued as Raina handed Warren an ice pack.

"As for our competitors…" Chris trailed while Louise picked himself up off the ground.

"Dress for water," Chris concluded as Lara's eyes zoomed in on Sophie and transformed into a glare. She then threw another linen in a washing machine and slammed the door shut.

* * *

"Welcome to The Philippines," Chris announced while holding his hands out. Behind him loomed a small lake fed by a river flowing out of the maw of a cave. Four boats rocked in the water, each one representing a team colour. Every contestant eyed the ships rather warily and gazed around the island with curiosity. Birds chirped in the trees and a wonderful breeze shifted from the sea.

"What's with the boats?" Liam asked while his eyes drifted warily to the cave.

"The Philippines is made up of hundreds of islands, many of which contain subterranean rivers. They're beautiful tourist destinations that flood during the rainy season and dry up during the dry season. This particular cave was once popular with tourists before the waterflow changed and it flooded. Now it's a maze of tunnels, some of which hit dry land, some of which hit dead ends, and even more that have unstable stalactites that could fall and skewer you at any second," Chris chuckled causing a number of eyes to widen, "Your task is to make it to the other end of the river before the other teams, first team there wins first class passage to our next destination while the last team to exit faces elimination."

"Seems easy enough," Raina mused before Chris shushed her.

"For coming first in China, The Sinister Sharks will receive a boat with an onboard motor," Chris explained as he motioned to the boats down by the docks, "The rest of you can easily figure out how evaluations went."

True to his word several boats were in shabbier shape than The Sharks. The green ship held an onboard motor just like The Sharks while the Red boat had eight paddles. Next to it was the yellow boat which only had two paddles and had clearly been purchased from a local fisherman judging by the dings in the hull and the rust clinging to the ribbing. A collective groan spread through The Creepy Calamari accompanied by a slap directed right at Nadie's forehead by her own hand. Annoyance couldn't last long because seconds later Chris sounded an airhorn and the teams took off towards the boats. It was a downhill race and each team began to spread out with some contestants bolting towards the boats while others crept down the side of the mountain.

Olga was the first to hit the shoreline and she stepped right into her team's boat and set it rocking back and forth. Some of her fit teammates followed while Lara reached her own team's boat and immediately began undoing a knot tying them to shore. Liam skid to a halt nearby and stared at the gaping cave entrance with fear lining his eyes while Nadie and Bubba leapt into the boat ahead of him.

One by one players arrived and the Whimsical Whales had all nine members in the boat before any other team. Jason undid the rope and leapt in before everyone on the team save Gabriel grabbed an oar and began rowing. Arguments immediately broke out as the team began to flounder and steer in every which way. Their arguing was quickly drowned out by The Putrid Plankton's motor which roared to life and took off. Sophie was the last to arrive and had to wade into the water to reach the ship while Lara leered at her. The second Sophie had her hands on the edge Lara hit the gas and the team roared past The Whales.

The Creepy Calamari were off next with Bubba and Nadie rowing while Liam bit down on his nails and stared at the gaping mouth of the cave before them. They were slow but managed to overtake The Whales. Finally Warren was lugged into The Shark's boat and with a roar they were off with Raina directing them around the two rowing teams and after the Plankton. Bryce put the motor in full gear and they took off into the cave mouth in pursuit of their foes.

Their foes were having trouble getting a good speed as Yvonne and Anne were having a hard time lugging Sophie into the ship. Lara wasn't stopping but Anne's rump was in her face and she couldn't exactly focus until the two hauled their soggy teammate onboard. She hit the deck and her sweater sent water all over the floor where it washed over everyone's shoes.

"You could have stopped," Sophie exclaimed while growing a glare.

"I'm sorry, but the bus leaves whether you're on it or not," Lara retorted before turning her gaze to the front of the boat where the darkening river drew to a fork. Lara eased off the power and glanced left and right before steering the boat left and catching everyone off guard. Yvonne nearly tumbled over the edge while they moved into utter blackness. The only source of light was a single lantern near the front of the ship. It cast eerie shadows along the walls and the damp scent of underground water filled their noses. They rumbled forward without a single turn in sight while everyone huddled together near the center of the boat glancing awkwardly between Sophie near the lantern and Lara near the motor. Sophie had a look of anger on her face while Lara had a steadfast forward gaze that wasn't about to be broken by anything.

"I see another fork," Sophie announced, breaking the silence. This time the fork in the road had a duo of signs illuminated, each one sporting a different message in clear Filipino.

"Can anyone read that?" Lara asked before her entire team shook their heads no. Lara just shrugged and turned the boat left. Everyone was thrust to the side as they veered heavily to the left before turning into a curved tunnel.

"You could have asked us," Anne muttered before Lara's eyes fell on her teammate with rage drawn upon them.

"Last time I trusted you, there was bug filled sushi," Lara growled before turning her gaze forward. Anne simply wrinkled her nose and immediately shifted over. She sat down next to Sophie and stared at Lara with a look of utter annoyance on her face. Lara simply blew some hair out of her eyes and continued to steer the boat forward.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I would have kept Anne around if she'd sided with me," Lara states while crossing her arms. "But since she sided with miss useless she's made her bed. Following me just became a sweeter deal, now anyone who votes with me gets to survive at least two elimination."

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

"Left or right," Raina mused as she and the rest of The Sinister Sharks floated at the fork in the river. She and Phoebe were shining flashlights back and forth looking for any signs they could follow. Unfortunately both paths were rather similar. Raina scratched her neck while most of the team sat silently behind them. A flashlight clicked on right next to Warren and he was startled for a second before Renee scooted over to him with a grin on her face and light reflecting off her braces.

"So, what's the plan with Raina?" Renee asked with a grin.

"I don't know yet…" Warren replied as he gazed at the team captain who was muttering with Phoebe at the front of the boat.

"Maybe you can steer the boat into a wall and win us second," Bryce commented from behind the two. Warren had a flush of guilt while Renee shone the flashlight into Bryce's eyes.

"Are you always this rude or are you trying to make enemies?" Renee asked in deadpan while Bryce held a hand in front of his eyes.

"I'm just speaking the truth, Warren and Raina cheated in Alaska. If I were team captain we'd be gone already," Bryce commented while Raina froze up and turned towards Bryce with fear and worry written on her face. Her hand extended to the right and she pointed down the dark cavern tunnel.

"Right," Raina ordered and Bryce simply shrugged in response and turned the boat. It veered after Raina's hand and they raced forward with the sound of the motor making things more private.

"Don't listen to him," Renee assured Warren, "He's just bitter."

"Yeah, just bitter…" Warren mumbled while scratching his hair and avoiding eye contact.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"If I can turn the team against Bryce and get him eliminated, Raina won't have to worry about anything," Warren exclaims with his hands held out and a bright smile crossing his face. "If he's going to do nothing but call me a saboteur then perhaps I'll humour him."

* * *

"Oh boy," Liam exhaled nervously as Bubba and Nadie rowed them into the cave mouth. His eyes were quivering in fear and he bit down on his fingers to prevent himself from grinding his teeth. Everyone else was gazing into the dark depths curiously, but all Liam could focus on was the musty smell of underground wafting from the darkness. A single flashlight was all they had for a light source and it's control over the darkness lessened with every inch they traversed.

"You okay man?' Lucile asked from next to him.

"Yeah," Liam replied with worry lining his voice before he swallowed and put on the cockiest demeanor he could muster. "I mean, if you're scared I can totally protect you."

"Um… Sure," Lucile replied before averting her gaze. Liam proceeded to turn and slap his forehead the second she wasn't looking though. Louise watched this exchange and narrowed his eyes.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Liam's strong, liked by the team, and gets some of the best evaluation forms," Louise muses. "If I want to survive I need to start breaking that image…"

* * *

"Looking a bit tired there Nadie," Louise commented from his seat next to the girl holding the paddle.

"You'd be tired too if you had to fight yesterday," Nadie growled with daggers shooting from her eyes, something her teammate was somewhat oblivious to thanks to the dark.

"Perhaps you should get someone to handle it for you, Liam's pretty tough," Louise chuckled.

"Are you saying I can't handle gruntwork bub?" Nadie asked in a very silent tone.

"I didn't say anything," Bubba replied.

"Not you genius," Nadie hissed before narrowing her eyes on Louise. "You better explain your reasoning in five seconds or I'm just going to assume you're being sexist."

Louise just gave a huff in response and slid away from his teammate stopping right next to Bubba and remaining quiet for a few seconds. The boat continued to row forward until Louise glanced at his teammate and nudged him with his elbow.

"Think it's a little weird that Liam didn't take the oar?" Louise asked in a whisper.

"Yeah, it is weird," Bubba agreed in his deep masculine voice.

"Poor Nadie," Louise sighed.

"Poor Nadie? Poor me! Do I look like I want to row?" Bubba demanded with a huff. "To be honest I'm kind of over being picked to do menial tasks because of my size."

"Heads up!" Frank interrupted from the front of the boat, drawing every eye to him in the process. He was shining the flashlight down two separate tunnels, something that made Liam cover his head in fear. There were no signs, no key differences, and no evidence pointing in the direction the two motorized teams had taken.

"This could make or break the entire challenge," Josh groaned with a clutch of his head.

"Well, sitting here won't solve the problem, hands up if we go right," Kiara announced. Nadie, Josh, Frank, Lucile, and Kiara put their hands up. So Bubba let out a sigh and began to paddle hard to turn them towards the right-hand side. They flowed down the cave unsure if they were even heading in the right direction while the dripping of water filled the air. With only two paddles a mistake the other teams could recover from was deadly to The Calamari. They were all feeling the pressure again. Compared to when they'd eliminated Jules in Japan they knew one another a lot better now. They knew each other by name and already knew the strengths and weaknesses of the team. A loss in this type of challenge would be very difficult to blame on a single player. What would likely happen would be glancing at past records in past challenges and some players were already biting their nails in fear.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Liam is just waiting for us to lose, then he can pin the blame on the rowers!" Bubba exclaims with a look of angered realization crossing his face. "He may think he's smart but I'm smarter."

* * *

 **The Whimsical Whales**

* * *

Arguing filled the air outside the cave entrance as The Whimsical Whales rowed around in circles. People on the left shouted at people on the right and Jason wouldn't stop rowing regardless of what anyone said. Stephen and Wilma were both on the same side as the boy and Erin kept dropping his paddle in the water and having to reach over the edge and grab it. The entire team was a mess and as they rotated for the twenty fifth time Elsa leaned over the edge and vomited into the water.

"At this rate we're never going to catch up," Natalie sighed while she drew her paddle out of the water to avoid Elsa's vomit.

"We'll always catch up, we have me on this team," Jason boasted as they rotated once again causing Elsa to groan.

"We need to steer left!" Stephen shouted.

"NO! We need to steer right!" Wilma shouted in response.

"I have triathlon medals, I know what I'm doing!" Stephen exclaimed.

"Well whoop-dee-friggin-doo!" Wilma roared back.

The entire boat rocked as the team began to shuffle around and they nearly capsized in the process causing Gabriel to grip the sides with fear in his eyes. The water had just been vomited into and he did not want to join it. He bit his cheek and gazed over his teammates before clapping his hands and drawing all their eyes to him.

"If we want to win you all need to start rowing together, you'd think you'd know this," Gabriel sighed while running his hand down his face, "If everyone on the right rows then we turn left, if everyone on the left rows we turn right."

"I never stop," Jason boasted while continuing to circle them.

"Just kill me now," Elsa groaned as they spun again.

Wilma sighed in reaction and thrust her paddle forward dragging Jason's out of the water. The boy flung a glare back at her and she just rolled her eyes in response annoyed by his idiocy.

"If we both row…" Brad trailed.

"We flip over," Jason stated earning facepalms from his entire team in the process.

Arguing ensued again causing Gabriel to huff in response.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"At least I know I won't be blamed for this loss," Gabriel sighs.

* * *

Elsa continued to groan, Erin lost his paddle entirely, and Wilma began a paddle fight with Jason. The entire team was a wreck and as more time passed they all began to formulate plans for elimination that evening. Deek kept telling everyone to stop letting their emotions cloud their auras and Natalie ordered him to shut up. It was all too much so Gabriel stood up and yelled for silence. Everyone shut up and stared at him while he swept his gaze over them. He'd been on the rowing team at his school and knew what they needed, his finger snapped at Erin and the boy went wide eyed in response.

"Take off your shoes and beat a rhythm on the boat," Gabriel ordered. Erin was a little hesitant but a quick shove from his team convinced him to move forward. He sat down and began beating out a weird and offkey rhythm with his shoes. Gabriel immediately ordered everyone to row. The paddles moved once, then again, then again. They moved towards the cave entrance and Jason moved seats placing himself at the front to add to whatever side needed help.

"Now, take over Jason," Gabriel ordered. The beating stopped and Gabe shut up while Jason began ordering the rowing. They moved into the cave last and wobbled back and forth in a messy pattern crashing into the walls as they progressed. Wilma grunted whenever they crashed near her side of the boat and everyone on the right lifted their paddles when they scraped against it.

They were at least moving forward until they hit a crossroards. Immediately everyone was scrambled and they began spinning again causing arguing to break out for the eleventh time that day.

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

The motor roared as the blue team raced through the tunnels. Flashlights were shone to and fro while eyes were peeled for any other crossroads. Worry about the dangers Chris had alluded to made everyone wary and eyes kept running upwards to the stalactites on the cave ceiling, as if they might fall at any second. For all the team knew, they'd picked a dead end and would have to turn back. These fears weren't exactly silenced by the appearance of another crossroads but they were definitely quieted. Two signs hung on the wall directing them in both directions in Filipino, no one knew what they said.

"Oh joy, more decisions to make," Lloyd groaned as they ground to a halt, "can't we just have four paths and get screwed over by our first decision?"

"The left has stalagmites in the water," Raina mused as she ran a flashlight over the water. Deep below the surface, much too low for the boat to hit were multiple spires of stone. Something not present on the right-hand side, "Water flows constantly from the right so we go that way."

"But what if the final stretch is over land, maybe we should go left," Bryce protested.

"Are you capable of accepting a decision or do you just like arguing?" Phoebe asked with venom lining her tongue. Most of the team was glaring back at Bryce, the boy scratched his head in return and quickly veered the boat to the right. They rumbled forward down the dark path until something bright began to emerge far ahead. The flashlights all went off and everyone stared ahead with joy written on their faces before the boat burst out into daylight with a roar. Bryce turned the motor down and everyone adjusted to the brightness and fresh air while birds sang and chirped. They were in a small lake bordered by lush island growth and the scent of wildflowers. The only issue was that Chris was nowhere to be seen.

"The cave has multiple exits!" Raina exclaimed while gripping her head.

"Well, you were right about water flow," Phoebe shrugged.

"Are you all dense?!" Bryce demanded causing everyone to look at him once again. "She just led us to a dead end!"

"Dude," Phoebe started.

"I picked the right exit!" Bryce exclaimed while motioning to himself.

"Is this about that stupid idea you have about Raina cheating?" Phoebe demanded while standing up. "Because it's starting to get on my nerves!"

"She couldn't pick a proper path if the signs were in English!" Bryce shouted while motioning to Raina.

"We didn't elect her to make the right decision," Phoebe snarled while stepping across the boat and causing everyone to shift aside to give her room. She stopped right in front of Bryce looking up at his eyes with her own narrowed. "We picked a leader to streamline decision making!"

"Keep up that mindset and we'll lose," Bryce retorted.

"Oh I hope we do," Phoebe hissed before Bryce grabbed her shoulder and thrust her backwards. She tripped on one of the seats and Lloyd managed to catch her. At that exact moment the entire boat rocked and shook as Olga rose to her feet. The sudden shift in size caused nearby birds to panic and fly away as the absolute giant of a girl stood at full height and took a single step towards Bryce. Her fist wrapped around his shirt and hoisted it up, nearly taking the boy off his feet.

"Shove her again and we won't need an elimination to get rid of you," Olga snarled, igniting real fear in Bryce's eyes. She then thrust him down and he collapsed on the wooden bench next to Renee and Warren who exchanged a look in response.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"At this rate Bryce will be the first off our team," Warren admits before scratching his chin in a thoughtful manner. "The sooner, the better…"

* * *

 **The Putrid Plankton**

* * *

The motor slowed down as the girls came to yet another crossroad. Signs marked both paths but once again the lack of English made all seven of them sigh.

"This place is a maze," Sophie groaned while shining the flashlight left and right.

"Left hasn't failed us yet," Lara replied with a shrug.

"Maybe we should mix it up, you know, just in case," Diane suggested nervously.

"What a great suggestion Diane," Lara smiled sweetly while glaring at Sophie across the boat. If Sophie had Anne in her pocket Lara had to make sure she could at least match that. She revved the motor and they took off with a flurry of water splashing after them. The path they were following began to widen considerably and they quickly found themselves in some kind of underground lake. Water rushed in multiple directions and steering became rather difficult. It was essential though, seeing as the rapid were drawing them towards a bunch of spires jutting out of the water. Sharp rocks that could easily puncture the side of their boat. Lara quickly revved the engine and sent them speeding around the circumference of the cavern. Water poured from the ceiling and she steered around these waterfalls narrowly missing the spray of mineralized water. They went against the rapids and barrelled towards an entrance on the far side.

Water gushed out of it and though there were other entries they could take, Lara ignored those and roared forward. She didn't slow down and everyone covered their eyes when they rushed under a waterfall and blasted forwards with water clinging to their clothing. They roared upstream and away from the cavern with damp hair and sighs of relief. The musty smell of the cave lessened a little and Diane took in a deep breath of the fresher air.

"I think I made the right choice ladies," Lara chuckled as they sped along.

"Perhaps, though I would have preferred a dryer path," Yvonne admitted.

"Oh posh, you need to get down and dirty if you want to succeed," Lara replied in a dismissing tone that made Yvonne scowl. "Fortunately for us, getting my hands dirty is one of my strong suits."

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"We're supposed to clean behind the ice cream freezer every Friday at work," Lara explains. "But when I started no one had cleaned under that thing ever. My perseverance, dedication, and caring got me promoted to manager. The coworkers who criticized me and called me a keener don't work there anymore and I'm starting to pick up on some of the same qualities in my teammates."

* * *

Lara watched as Yvonne wrung out her hair with a scowl and ran her eyes over her teammates. Sophie was shivering at the end of the boat while Anne refused to make eye contact. The rest however, were simply staring ahead with bright eyes. Diane seemed totally onboard with their chosen path and even Bebe seemed to be fine with her damp hair. The only wild card was Zilka, who sat in the center of the boat staring at the roof of the cave in an aimless manner.

To anyone else it might have just looked like a bitter fight but Lara was already calculating votes if they lost. No doubt Sophie would target her which would mean the potential of going home, something Lara wouldn't take sitting down. She had been promoted to manager and the business degree she'd get with the million dollars would lead her to being a powerful CEO or president. The last thing she needed was to underestimate Sophie, a girl who prioritized dumb entertainment over productivity. She was the type that would get fired, complain that the boss was too harsh, and drag the bottom line down with her. If the other girls wanted to side with her they deserved the same fate. Their team had already lost three players, so making sure the team was running at maximum efficiency was a priority for Lara.

Sophie meanwhile, knew she could easily sway any teammate to vote against Lara. Their so called leader had done nothing but berate and yell at them since day one. Her entire act of being the strongest player would only last so long and Sophie hoped to cut that short. Lara had thrown her book in the washing machine like a bully, she had shoved Yvonne around, belittled Zilka, and grumbled about Bebe. Sophie knew she didn't even have to do anything, Lara would destroy her own chances of winning, all she had to do was sit back and wait for it to happen.

* * *

 **The Creepy Calamari**

* * *

"Right leads to an outdoor dead end, left leads to a small patch of land," Louise yawned as they hit their second crossroads.

"What would we do without you?" Kiara asked in a joking tone.

"Get lost in a cave," Louise replied in complete deadpan as they veered left. Bubba was showing signs of strain and a wicked grin crossed Louise' face in response to this. "Tired Bubba?"

"Haven't worked this hard… ever!" Bubba grunted between strokes.

"We all have to pull our weight," Louise replied. "I navigate, Nadie rows, and you push us towards victory, seems to me like we're doing all the hard work…"

"That's right," Bubba agreed between another pair of strokes. "Stewart isn't pulling his weight!"

"NO!" Louise shouted before slapping his forehead and lowering his voice back to a whisper, "Stewart wouldn't be able to row anyway, and he's a vote we can count on. Liam is the one screwing us over. Everyone thinks he's great only because he helped us off the bus on the first day."

"Yeah," Bubba replied in a realizing tone.

"I'll go talk to Stewart, you stay here and work on Nadie," Louise ordered before he stood up and walked to the rear of the ship. He skirted around his teammates until he reached the boy at the back.

Stewart was clad in a dark sweater with the hood pulled over his head and dark hair crossing over his eyes in a way that would have annoyed anyone else. His arms were crossed and he was slouched down sporting a permafrown. Louise quickly sat next to him and received a single sideways glance. The boy then gave a huff that blew his stray hairs around and refused to make eye contact.

"So, you bothered by Liam's targeting of us?" Louise asked curiously.

No response emerged from the pale boy, he just continued to ignore his teammate and stare angrily at the wall like he was in some kind of foul mood. He had heard Louise though, as his hands had quickly taken to his pockets the second Louise was done talking.

"We both have targets on our backs because of Alaska, I think we should team up and vote off Liam next time we lose," Louise suggested.

The sloshing of water was his only reply. Stewart continued to ignore him, instead staring at the dark walls of the cave with his hoodie and hair hiding most of his expression. Louise pursed his lips in annoyance. His only chance of avoiding Liam's wrath was to eliminate Liam himself, he thought that would at least interest his darkly dressed teammate.

"I know you can hear me," Louise growled.

"Back off man!" Stewart shouted back with absolute anger filling his eyes. His tone of voice spoke volumes of his bad mood and Louise actually flinched a little in response.

"Come on, this is about survival," Louise replied in a hushed tone, trying not to alert the team to what he was doing.

"I don't care," Stewart muttered before returning his gaze to the dark wall.

"You'll care when you head is on the chopping block," Louise replied.

" **I SAID BACK OFF**!" Stewart shouted, drawing every head towards the two of them. Louise felt embarrassment flood him and he rose to his feet again stepping over teammates as he went and apologizing. He made a few claims about just trying to be friendly and resumed his seat next to Bubba. He and Nadie continued to row and after a few seconds of silence Louise turned towards Bubba with a sigh.

"Tell me you had better luck," Louise lamented before Bubba turned towards him, his left eye swollen and bruising from a punch to the face.

* * *

 **The Whimsical Whales**

* * *

"Well, we lose," Jason sighed as the team reached a dead end. Picking a direction had been hard enough for the team. Turning around in the tiny space was another animal altogether. With only seven oars and nine teenagers who all thought they were right, things got out of hand rather quickly. Blame was thrown left and right in bouts of angry shouting while Gabriel watched his teammates with half closed eyes. Erin ducked under a swung paddle while Jason began taking charge with his own, turning them sideways with three strokes. A sudden lurch came over the boat as the two ends clattered against the rock walls knocking Natalie into Stephen's lap, wrenching Wilma's paddle from her hands, and bumping Deek's head into the wall.

Somehow it was Elsa's fault, if Ryan were there they'd be finished already, and Brad was too heavy for his side of the boat. It was a mess, the entire team was a mess. It was like that one loss had just destroyed any sense of teamwork that had existed before, or perhaps it had just brought everything to the surface. They didn't have a clear leader, egos were high, and they were about as organized as a herd of cats. They began shifting the other way but hit the wall again. This time Natalie was on the floor of the boat, Erin was hit in the crotch with a paddle, and Elsa nearly fell overboard. The arguing continued as they clumsily backed out of the dead end. They hit the wall at least a dozen times before hitting the crossroads again and following the correct path. Still, everything was even clunkier than ever thanks to Wilma's lost paddle.

Gabriel clutched the bench under him as they bashed against wall after wall and scraped along creating an ear piercing sound of wood against rock that made everyone grit their teeth. The camera crew following the team was just staring at the group exchanging looks every few seconds while shouting erupted again with Stephen absolutely sure he knew how to control the boat. He didn't, they just ground into a wall again while Brad pushed them away from the wall.

Scrapes, grounding, and shouting did nothing to stop their progress however, as they quickly found themselves in a large underground cavern with water flowing in from multiple directions and even tumbling down from the ceiling. The arguing intensified as more options were put before them. Gabriel tapped his foot impatiently while they spun in circles again. Elsa flopped onto the side of the boat groaning as they began spinning and every revolution made her take in more of the cavern.

There was water falling from the ceiling, caves with water flowing upstream and downstream, and a bunch of sharp rocks they were being drawn towards. It took her longer than necessary to realize what was going on but the second it clicked she sat upright, rocking the whole boat and pointed at the stones. Her alarmed shout was like a gunshot because panic immediately broke out on the team. Jason proclaimed he would save them and began paddling by himself with an egotistical smile while Elsa shrieked in fear. Natalie and Stephen grabbed one another while Deek closed his eyes and began to connect to the universe around him. Brad prepared to abandon ship while Wilma grabbed him and proclaimed it wasn't worth it. With so much panic and disarray Gabriel knew it was his time. He'd been holding out for a moment like this. There was no way he was about to get his hands dirty and actually row, actually he didn't want to do anything of the sort ever again. He'd seen the show many times before, it worked just like his mother's job. If you're hired to do something pass it onto an underling and if they cannot handle it you don't take the heat, they do. He'd been waiting for his chance to take control of the team, to gain the position where he could tell Wilma or Stephen to go do something and when they failed it wasn't any skin off his hands. He'd never be blamed because he'd never take responsibility.

He waited a few more seconds watching the boat drift towards the rocks calmly. He already had a plan, who to row where and how to save them from the stones. He was about to announce his plans when suddenly Elsa was up in front of him. The girl who had been vomiting a few seconds earlier was now holding the attention of everyone on the team.

"LET'S ROW PEOPLE!" She exclaimed before sitting opposite Jason and helping him. A flurry of mismatched strokes followed and Gabe was about to call out strokes when much to his surprise the panicked Elsa was shouting orders instead.

Loud echoes of the word stroke filled the air as the team found a rhythm in her voice and with a zip they were off towards one of the many tunnels along the perimeter of the room. Gabe could only hold on for dear life as they zipped along. They rowed through tunnel after tunnel at a breakneck speed and with a final push they broke through the current and could finally breathe. Amidst the panting and a couple exchanges of oars a few voices piped up catching Gabe's ears.

"Way to go Elsa," Stephen exhaled.

"Good call," Natalie added.

"Maybe we haven't lost this," Erin noted, causing Gabe to grit his teeth. Just moments earlier the entire team had seemed on board with eliminating Elsa next, but suddenly her head didn't seem to be firmly rested on the chopping block. She'd used his chance to distance herself from elimination and a vile amount of contempt flowed through his veins in response. She'd cost them the last challenge and his team was about to forget that.

* * *

 **Confessional**

"Getting to the million dollars requires two types of play," Gabriel explains, "First you must win enough challenges to avoid elimination, and second you must have enough fodder between you and that lifeboat. If Elsa's going to dig her way out of the ammunition depot, then I must find someone to replace her. My team may not be bright, but some of them will notice that I was the only one not rowing today, and if I don't have executive privileges then they'll see me as a deadbeat.

* * *

 **The Creepy Calamari**

* * *

Making landfall came as no surprise to the team and thanks to Louise' translation they were able to hoist their boat into the air and begin to portage it across the small strip of land and shallow water. Not a dry shoe was to be seen as they waded through ankle deep water shining the flashlights around to make sure there were no holes to fall into. Liam found the mere thought of a dark underwater hole to be so frightening he was nearly petrified. He walked next to Lucile trying to keep his cool and feeling like the walls were closing in. The musk of the cave was endless and he felt sick to his stomach, more than usual. Chef's cooking was one thing but walking through a cave was another altogether.

His fingers trembled and fiddled around with the lighter in his hands. He kept flicking it on and off letting the small flare bounce for only a few seconds before killing it. It would then reignite and the process would repeat again. Lucile watched him with concern written on her face, despite Liam's macho playing she could tell he was nervous, the look in his eyes, the way he held his torso, it all hinted at an underlying fear of the musty tunnel they were in.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lucile asked with concern lining her voice.

"Um… YEAH! Totally feeling awesome, I could even wander down here for… y-years…" Liam trailed while staring at her wide eyed. She simply raised an eyebrow as Liam continued his thinly veiled façade. "Yeah, me and the guys always wander into sewer pipes back home, they're pretty dry in the summer…. Heh…"

"Arent sewer pipes underground?" Lucile asked in deadpan.

"No, you know, the ones under bridges, they dry out when the tide is low… you know… those things…" Liam replied with a slight squeak in his voice. "They're filled with echoes and you can always hear the… Tide coming…"

"Okay, something is definitely wrong," Lucile stated while crossing her arms.

"NOTHING'S WRONG! STOP BEING SO NOSY!" Liam exclaimed while pointing at Lucile and quickening his pace. He quickly departed leaving her alone for a few short seconds before Louise walked up to replace him.

"Dude is totally hiding something," Louise muttered while shaking his head.

"He's scared," Lucile replied while narrowing her eyes at Louise. She'd seen the way he'd been moving around the boat. If he was approaching her it could only mean he wanted something. The whole Liam thing was just an in. She might have been from a small town but she was no moron.

"Yeah, I say we get rid of him," Louise stated, causing Lucile to stop dead in her tracks for a few seconds. The lights went a bit further ahead and cast the two Calamari players in heavy shadows.

"Why in the world would we eliminate Liam?" Lucile demanded while the shadows overtook Louise' face. She couldn't quite see it anymore and he was rather hard to read.

"I'm not sure if you noticed or not but he was pretty rude to you a second ago," Louise muttered while shaking his head is a disappointed manner.

Lucile simply stared at her teammate with a look of disgust, she wasn't sure what was written on his face, the darkness hid that and it made the entire thing hard to judge. Was he talking down to her? Was he being sincere? Was he grinning wickedly at the seed of doubt that had been planted? She couldn't be certain and that uncertainty was making her think, though perhaps not in the way Louise expected.

"I'm just saying, he seems pretty rude in comparison to day one," Louise shrugged before walking forward with the sloshing of water filling the air behind him. Lucile watched him go and narrowed her eyes as the darkness closed around her. She began to move forward and catch up with her team but her eyes remained trained on Louise who had decided to walk up to Josh. There seemed to be something very different about the kid in comparison to the first few days, something she wasn't sure she liked.

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

"Okay, so we can either go left now or back the way we came," Raina muttered while gazing between the two options before her. She was at a loss in terms of decision making and a near panic was consuming her. That panic was made worse by the fact Bryce was mouthing the word left behind her. He'd made a decision already, he'd decided on a course of action, and would likely make a decent leader in her stead. The rest of the team was on her side but that was only increasing the sheer amount of guilt she was feeling. If they only knew what Warren had done, what she had failed to admit, they'd tear her limb from limb.

A decision had to come and Raina could only prolong her decision for so long. So with a tap of her chin she pointed back the way they'd come. Everyone looked back at Bryce who rolled his eyes but followed her lead anyway. She knew the left-hand road had come up to land but she had a bad feeling land meant a dead end. Chris would definitely have them finish the race in their boats, something that she was afraid of being wrong about. They could circle around in the caverns for eons, perhaps it would have been better to explore the left-hand tunnel, at least she'd know for certain if that happened.

They ripped along the dark tunnel rushing past the entrance and roaring down the other path. It didn't last long as they hit another crossroads rather quickly. Raina exhaled deeply and looked left and right trying to find anything that could help her. Two signs sat overhead but she couldn't remember what the last two said. Her eyes kept drifting towards the signs and after a long pause she exhaled deeply and pointed her team right. This proved to be a mistake and earned a groan from Bryce that made her blood turn to ice. She turned around once they realized it was a dead end and looked at the disappointed faces on her teammates. She wasn't certain if they were disappointed about the dead end or her leadership, Bryce's smirk didn't help.

They backed out again and quickly found themselves rushing along a long and winding tunnel with plenty of scrapes and scratches along the sides that signalled another team had been through the area. Solid proof that her leadership had put them behind another team. They were supposed to be the strong team, the ones who had won four of the five challenges put before them. Her decisions were breaking that record and would lead to a day of work, or worse. She'd seen the other teams. Bree had screwed up and been eliminated. Nia had lost the challenge so she was eliminated. Jules lied and got set adrift, Nancy lost it and was given the boot, and Ryan lost his temper and received a one way pass to losersville. If they lost she was the one making mistakes and leading them blindly into dark dead ends.

Her third crossroads resulted in another landfall. A choice rested before her, walk or turn around.

With a heavy motor and heavier boat walking seemed redundant and time consuming, something she didn't have time for, unless this was the right path in which case it would save them time. She wasn't sure what to do so she inhaled deeply and ordered Bryce to reverse them.

They belted along for a decent amount of time while Raina prayed they wouldn't hit a crossroads. This was in vain though as they quickly found themselves in a large cavern with at least a dozen branches. Raina stared wide eyed at the many options they had with her mouth agape while they drifted towards a bunch of rocks poking out of the water. No one caught sight of this but Warren, who glanced at them with worry and opened his mouth to speak. At the last second he caught sight of the cocky smirk on Bryce's face and frowned.

They drifted ever closer to the sharp rocks while Raina tried to decide what direction to go. The constant looking around made everyone blind to the rocks and they only noticed the hazard seconds before a loud wrench filled the air and a rock collided with the hull of the boat piercing right through it.

"Hit the gas!" Raina ordered and Bryce went to go do so but Warren also grabbed for it. The two slapped each other's hands away for a few seconds while the spire of rock grew in their boat. Water began to flood in before Bryce finally shoved Warren aside and hit the gas. Warren gave a kick to a second rock emerging without anyone noticing and it tore a large gash in their floor. Water began to pool in as they followed Raina's finger down a tunnel. By the time the hole was being plugged they had taken on a slowing amount of water that brought a sly grin to Warren's face. Unfortunately, Raina wasn't very ecstatic that their shot of winning had just dwindled. In actuality she was quite certain that if she had reacted quicker they wouldn't have been hit at all.

* * *

 **The Putrid Plankton**

* * *

"Okay, let's follow this," Lara explained as their boat scraped against some shallow water. A deep tunnel loomed before them and the scent of fresh air was wafting out of it. A clear indication that they were close to the finish line.

The girls all got out of the boat and Lara immediately began to wade forward through the water to the dry land up ahead.

"Where are you going?" Sophie demanded drawing everyone's attention to her, "We need to take the boat!"

"And what if this tunnel is just dry land to the finish, then we'd have carried the boat for nothing," Lara retorted while planting her feet firmly in the water.

"And what if we hit water again?" Sophie demanded.

"We come back," Lara replied while pointing the lantern at the dry land ahead of them. "Though a seriously doubt that will be a requirement."

"No way," Sophie responded while flinging her hands out. "I'm sick of following your orders, you claim to be making the right choices but we haven't won a single challenge!"

"Neither have the Whales!" Lara retorted while her eyes contorted with rage. "We're going to follow this tunnel on foot and ditch that heavy boat, you'll thank me later."

"NO!" Sophie shouted while slamming her foot down into the water and sending splashes rippling in every direction, "I'm staying with the boat, you leave it behind you lose no matter what!"

Lara's face contorted in rage at that single comment. She splashed through the water right up to Sophie and the two girls held eye contact with an extreme air of awkwardness hovering between them. Everyone else remained silent, scratching their heads and shifting their feet. Sophie however, didn't back down and Lara wrinkled her nose and shoved the girl aside. Her hands grabbed the boat and began to lift. Everyone surrounded her and with a lot of struggle they hefted the heavy boat and its heavy motor into the air. Legs wobbled and Bebe tripped twice. It was strenuous and hard but they managed to emerge from the water. When Sophie readjusted her handhold Lara looked back at her with venom glowing in her eyes.

"If I'm right, you're as good as gone," Lara hissed causing Sophie's gaze to harden in response.

* * *

 **The Creepy Calamari**

* * *

Having hit water again and avoiding another dead end it was clear that the Calamari were having an easy time going through the caves. The only real fear they sported was of the teams with motors. Sure they hadn't made a mistake yet, but the Plankton and Sharks could make a dozen mistakes in the time they made one. Those motors were just that good, though trekking them over land seemed to be the downside. If anything, The Whales were the real threat with their light boat and multiple paddles.

As the team veered left down a watery path Louise had his complete attention focused on Frank, who had been using the flashlight the entire time. Sitting next to the guy wasn't as strange as his talks with Stewart or Lucile, seeing as the translator and light guy went hand in hand.

"So…" Louise trailed. "Any ideas on who you'd want to vote for next time we lose?"

"I dunno," Frank shrugged without lifting his eyelids from half closed. "We got rid of Jules because he was annoying, I think I'd just vote for the person who's hardest to live with."

"Anyone in particular?" Louise asked through his teeth.

"Not really…" Frank replied while narrowing his eyes at Louise, "You seem rather obsessed with finding out who's going home next, almost like you have an idea…"

"Well, now that you mention it, Liam did call me cannon fodder back in Alaska," Louise muttered while turning his gaze backwards onto Liam who was gripping his shoulders tightly and squinting his eyes.

"Ah, don't be so nervous, there is no way you go home before Stewart," Frank chuckled as they passed another crossroads with Louise pointing them right.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I meant," Louise muttered through grit teeth unsure if he could trust Frank or not. Perhaps Frank would run off and tell Liam all about his efforts, a risk he wasn't ready to take.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Hopefully my hard work will pay off, maybe not during our next elimination, maybe not even the one after that, but I promise you I will not go home before Liam," Louise announces while crossing his arms.

* * *

 **The Whimsical Whales**

* * *

"Can we just find an exit already," Elsa groaned as the team backtracked again from another dead end. They made it back into the main tunnel and her wooziness filled her again. They rowed awkwardly, hitting walls and bumping into things, but they were at least making progress.

They rounded corners, merged with other streams, and even walked over some dry land, dragging their boat as they went. All Elsa could do was wish for light to appear on the ever widening waterways, and for some reason it did, except it erupted from behind them. Elsa gave a blink and the rest of the team paused for a mere second as the light got brighter. Then with a sudden rush they saw another boat, one with a motor that was a little low to the ground.

"ROW!" Elsa exclaimed and her team immediately burst into randomly patterned rowing. They heaved forwards as The Sinister Sharks started to gain on them, they edged closer and closer as the lanes merged again and again. Soon enough there was enough space for the two teams to race side by side with the Sharks gaining the edge.

Warren watched as they began to pass the Whales and with pursed lips he nudged the sweater plugging their hole and it sprung a leak again. Water began to rush into the boat and it began to sink lower and become slower. Waterways continued to merge and the two teams slowed down to the same speed and suddenly saw light up ahead, not from the outdoors, but from another team. The two paddled Creepy Calamari were before them and at the end of a very long trail was daylight.

Olga and Renee began to bail water from the boat, the Whales had trouble with the long hallway, and the Calamari only had two paddles. Daylight grew brighter and the three teams lined up with only meters to go. Inch by inch they emerged closer and closer to victory. One ship drew ahead and one lagged behind as the teens broke into daylight with the sound of an airhorn.

The multi paddled Red team erupted from the cave first, followed quickly by the sinking Blue team before the lagging yellow team broke into fresh air. Chris sat in a small motorboat while the Sharks completely sunk and the ten teens were left floating in the water. Chris grinned at them all while Frank pulled his scarf off and threw it onto the wooden deck of his boat. His anger however, was short lived as mere seconds later at a cave entrance far above the water The Putrid Plankton emerged last for the fourth time. They hurled their heavy boat aside and Lara gave out a roar of anger into the sky.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I think this win might clean my record," Elsa chuckles.

"Ugh, we need to lose so Bryce can go home!" Warren exclaims before slapping his forehead.

"Another day to work on Liam's elimination, I'm not complaining," Louise smirks.

Lara sits in front of the camera with her eye twitching and her face frozen in a look of pure rage.

* * *

 **The Whimsical Whales**

* * *

When the doors to first class were opened everyone gave a gasp of surprise and glee. Ten individual bedrooms, a massive television, plenty of space, and a balcony. Even better were the uniforms they'd been stuck in for the last few days. They lay folded on the tables with the scent of lavender flowing from them. Traditional Filipino cuisine lay spread across the table and the promise of a full day of relaxing loomed before the team.

"The seats here have cushions," Natalie sniffled before grabbing Stephen and demanding to know if it was a dream.

The team immediately broke apart. Deek brushed things off in disgust, commenting about excess while Brad and Erin began to stuff their faces. Jason jumped onto the couch with a sigh while Elsa and Wilma walked out to the balcony. The only one not entranced by the room was Gabriel, who held a look of disgust on his face that became quickly apparent to his teammates. One by one they stopped their activities wondering if the boy had seen something strange. Only when he had their attention did he motion to the room and laugh.

"This is a joke right?" He asked while sweeping his gaze around, "This is first class?"

Everyone just blinked and exchanged looks while Gabriel gave a huff.

"Excuse me?" Natalie asked, wondering if perhaps they'd been cheated.

"This is nothing more than economy, like staying in a log cabin," Gabriel huffed while marching around the room, "Where's the water element, the modernistic design, and the staff?"

"Well I think the Plankton are at elimination," Brad chuckled before Gabriel got right into his face.

"YOU THINK THIS IS A JOKE?!" He demanded while grabbing the boy's stained shirt with his manicured hands. "FORGET THIS!"

With that Gabriel stormed to one of the bedrooms, snatching his uniform as he went. Once he was inside he slammed the door and leapt onto the bed with his lips pursed. He'd been lied to about first class, it was like roughing it. If that was the best Chris had to offer he was starting to wonder if doing all this for the million was even worth it.

* * *

Sunset loomed over the cruise ship as the green team shuffled their way to the elimination deck. By this point they just knew where it was and tensions were rather high through the seven girls. Lara had her arms crossed at the front of the line while Diane trailed behind her. Zilka walked right behind Diane scratching her head while Bebe stumbled in the middle. Behind her was Yvonne who was avoiding eye contact with everyone else, and just past her was Anne who was whispering with Sophie.

The line passed the interns and came to a halt right in front of the pool, finding Chris illuminated by the ghostly glow the blue lights gave off. The sun was sinking rapidly and it was getting colder and darker by the second, almost as a precursor to the fate of one contestant. The seven sat down and stared at Chris who was sided by a tray with only six mints on it. The number six seemed to be rather popular that day. They were on day six, they were about to become a team of six, and if they kept their current track record up there would be six more eliminations in their future.

" _Pathetic_ Plankton, back again, this time with tension," Chris grinned before inhaling deeply like there was a pleasant scent in the air.

"Can we just skip this part and dunk Lara into the water already?" Sophie demanded earning a glare from her teammate in the process.

"So what's the problem ladies?" Chris asked while checking his nails like he didn't care what the answer was. "Because from the looks of things you haven't exactly figured that out yet."

"Oh our problem is that Sophie is a layabout dragging the performance of this team down," Lara responded.

"No, our problem is that you're a control freak who likes to boss us around," Sophie argued causing Lara to ball her fists up.

"What say the rest of you?" Chris asked prompting the other girls to look at one another, "Are we perhaps silent because we don't want to be caught supporting the loser?"

"Oh, if any of them side with her they'll share her fate," Lara hissed.

"Oh, well if any of them side with you then I'll personally cut the line," Sophie responded while motioning over her team. "We're sick of your perfectionism!"

"Well, we're sick of your laziness!" Lara shouted in response.

"How about we vote," Diane suggested.

"FINE!" Both girls shouted in unison.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

Lara angrily stamps Sophie's passport.

Sophie growls at the camera and stamps Lara's Passport.

"I vote for Lara," Yvonne announces while holding up Lara's Passport. "She reminds me a little too much of the overzealous directors I've worked with."

"I vote for Sophie," Diane explains before stamping Sophie's passport. "She spends more time daydreaming than helping us win advantages."

* * *

"The following players are safe," Chris announced while picking up the first two mints. "Anne, Bebe…"

Both girls caught their mints without much surprise.

"Diane, Yvonne, and Zilka," Chris continued as the other three girls caught their mints. All eyes turned towards Sophie and Lara. Both girls glared at one another and the rest of the team watched with wide eyes and nervous swallows. A few even exchanged looks, almost as if they were trying to figure out who had voted for who.

The final mint was raised by Chris' hand and everyone stared at it with wide eyes. The host put on a smirk while the two girls up for elimination stared at it hungrily. His lips parted and a smile crossed his face dripping with tension and excitement. "And the final mint goes to…

…

…

…

…

… Lara," Chris concluded tossing the mint into Lara's awaiting hands. The employee of the month put on a devilish smirk while Sophie swept a shocked gaze over her teammates. She let out a solitary squeak before standing up with a huff.

"Fine then! SIDE WITH HER!" Sophie shouted before storming over to the lifeboat hoisted above the water. Lara watched her get in with that smirk still on her face while Sophie climbed into the boat and lifted her glasses wiping a small tear from her eyes. Chris approached the lever and with a single bump the rope was released and she fell with a scream to the water below, landing with a splash.

The second she was gone Lara turned to her teammates and looked them over with narrowed eyes, "You better hope I only got one vote."

"Oh no, you got three," Chris grinned from his positon across the pool.

"OH! Really…" Lara hissed while gazing across her teammates. The other five girls exchanged nervous looks whether they had cast a vote for Lara or not.


	7. Found Footage

"AS WE ENTER THE FINAL ROUND IT'S ANYONE'S GAME!" Chris shouted through a megaphone. His voice however, was rather distant due to the crashing of the Hawaiian waves. The beautiful sea sent spray into the mouths of the four competing players as they stared at the horizon clad in their swimwear. A crowd had gathered on the beach to watch the challenge and everyone could feel the tension in the air. The teams had never been this close before, a single screw up or good round could win the game.

Bubba chuckled as the surfboard he was standing on floated past Phoebe. He was clad in surf shorts with a floral pattern upon them coloured purple and orange. The smile he sported was cocky and bold and how could it not be, he'd scored perfect tens in every round he'd surfed. No one else on the waves had managed to replicate his track record.

Phoebe was meanwhile covering ground. Warren had bit it during the last round, washing onto shore with a groan and perfect zero. The three rounds she'd performed in had left a cold and clammy feeing running through her body despite the tropical heat. Her surf shirt clung tightly to her body and she kept adjusting it trying to avoid Bubba's confident gaze and gloating demeanour. She knew very well that there was every chance in the world he would beat her.

Lara was also in the water seated on her own board and glaring at the horizon. Her team was in second place and a solitary good round could rocket her team towards its first win. She too had surfed an abundance of rounds, trying to make up for Bebe's poor balance and the general incompetence of her teammates. Had they just performed decently they could have been winning, but consistently low scores had marred their chances at an easy win.

Finally Stephen sat in last place cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders. He was a good swimmer, but surfing wasn't his forte. His team was relying on him to spare them from elimination and it was honestly a lot of pressure. Not that they'd blame him though. Players like Gabriel and Stewart had downright refused to surf and Elsa had left a lot to be desired despite her eagerness to compete.

If any player scored a solid zero they'd lose it for their team. That was how close they were. Cold wind coursed through the air as the tide pulled back and a large wave began to approach, probably the most impressive of the day. Everyone immediately got to paddling. Stephen was the fastest and climbed to his feet first. Bubba meanwhile hung back chuckling as he went. His cocky grin was aimed at Phoebe and the potential her team had to lose their first challenge. The water surged and everyone rose to their feet as the wave began to curl. Stephen rode near the top avoiding the curl itself while Lara did a brief little stunt before falling back, unable to keep up with Bubba and Phoebe. The two rode side by side and Bubba was swinging left and right trying to create a wake to mess with his competition. The curl overtook them and dazzling breaks of light erupted from the water. Spray rocked all around them as Bubba bumped Phoebe's board causing her to stumble and nearly lose her balance.

"Enjoy elimination!" He grinned with a backwards glance. The curl began to shrink and Phoebe quickly ducked right before Bubba's head hit the water above them and he was torn off his board. It was flung forward and made her nearly lose her balance. She wobbled before catching her balance and rocketing out of the curl. She rode up the side and with a splash flung herself into the air pulling off a spin as she went. She landed with a thud next to Stephen as the entire wave collapsed.

"AND THE SINISTER SHARKS WIN AGAIN!" Chris shouted as the crowd cheered, "The Whimsical Whales come second, and the Pathetic Plankton come third! Not that it matters!"

Phoebe let out a small sigh of relief before hitting the beach and having Olga grab her arm and tear her off the board. She was spun three times before being placed on the soft sand and being crowded by her cheerful teammates. Not far away Stephen arrived at shore to mild congratulations. When the same words were spoken to Lara she just stormed past her teammates refusing to make eye contact. Finally, Bubba washed up with his broken surfboard and Nadie stopped him with her foot.

"Congratulations surfing champion," Nadie muttered in a tone dripping with sarcasm while Bubba let out a long winded groan in response.

* * *

 **Total Drama Ocean Cruise**

 **Chapter VII: Found Footage**

 **Written By The Firebending Frog**

* * *

 _The S.S. McLean_ gave a loud honk as it pulled away from the Hawaiian Islands. Passengers filed through the halls leaving behind a massive mess as they went. Sand, garbage, and lots of water was left stern all over the carpets and instead of giving the job to The Creepy Calamari Chris had instead stuck The Whimsical Whales with cleaning duty.

To say Natalie was pissed as she emptied the garbage cans was an understatement. Somehow the garbage bag had torn and she was now responsible for cleaning out the disgusting can by hand. A whole day of pampering had greeted them that morning and working like a wage slave again was completely depressing. The passengers kept walking past leaving trails of sand behind them and puddles of water that Erin had to dry up using a steam cleaner. Stephen was also having a lot of annoyance about the sand he was cleaning with the vacuum. The entire ordeal was degrading and all three players were rather annoyed.

"First class is going to smell like Shark now," Natalie shouted as she picked up a slimy banana peel.

"I miss the food," Erin sighed before his stomach growled.

"I'm going to miss those beds," Stephen added with an equally depressed sigh.

"And the hot tub," Natalie finished while all three players reminisced about the first class accommodations. They all let out sighs of longing before a door opened next to them and Chris Mclean himself walked out. A paper cup was in his hand and he was sucking on the straw producing an obnoxious slurping sound as he stared at the three Whale players. He continued to suck inwards creating the ever annoying sound until Natalie approached him with rage written on her face. Only then did he stop drinking and remove the straw from his mouth. He smacked his lips twice before bending down and placing the cup right in front of her and walking away. Natalie felt her eye twitch in response before she lifted her foot and kicked the drink. It sailed at the door Chris had exited and splattered against it. Erin and Stephen let out gasps while Natalie glared at the now filthy door with her normally pretty face distorted with rage. This look didn't last long as her face quickly fell into a look of curiosity and she began to approach the mess she'd made

She stopped before it and stared at the frame. He foot extended and with a small nudge she pushed on the door. It slid open a little, having not closed properly beforehand. A devilish grin spread across her face and she glanced back at Erin and Stephen with her eyes narrowed and mouth as broad as a serpent's.

"Don't do it," Erin whispered but it was already too late, Natalie had shoved the door open. Her companions gave yelps of fear before dashing after her and grabbing her arms. They were about to drag her backwards when they all halted and stared at the room before them. An electronic glow ran over their faces and their mouths opened in surprise and amazement. Dozens of monitors displayed various camera feeds from around the cruise ship with patrons and contestants alike displayed onscreen.

All three players approached the monitors with wide eyes and agape mouths. Everything was on display before them. They could see the Richardson boys chasing Jason around while he wore their mascot costume, several fat tourists getting sunburns by the pool, and probably most interestingly Yvonne and Anne walking to a storage closet and closing the door behind them.

"Huh, so this is the camera display," Stephen commented while gazing from monitor to monitor.

"Think Anne and Yvonne and making out in there?" Natalie asked with a smirk.

"Um…" Was all Stephen could respond with before a devilish smirk spread over Natalie's face. She immediately reached for the controls and shifted the cameras around until the interior of the storage closet was on display.

Anne and Yvonne were not making out, instead they were talking in what looked like hushed tones while glancing around nervously. Natalie pursed her lips and quickly pressed a button the keyboard. The audio didn't come on but the camera changed. She began hitting more buttons before the screen halted on Helden in nothing but a bathrobe doing stretches. The three Whale players watched in complete enamourment as Helden performed perfect splits and began twisting his body from side to side. Their agape mouths could only watch in shock until he suddenly decided to toss his robe aside and reveal the speedo he had been wearing that day. All three contestants cringed in disgust and Natalie quickly hit another button. The screen shifted back to Anne and Yvonne and Natalie paused before pressing another button. They didn't hear anything but both girls in frame cringed like a loud noise had just erupted and quickly departed the closet.

"You ruined it Natalie!" Stephen exclaimed.

"Wait…" Natalie trailed before pressing another button and suddenly they were blasted by sound and the visage of Bryce and Olga running on treadmills.

Bryce panted and tried to keep up with his teammate but she was simply striding at a leisurely pace without any strain on her face. He put on a burst of speed and stumbled. Since he was too cool to wear the safety key he fell and was shot off the treadmill and into a bunch of exercise balls.

"Hah," Natalie chuckled feeling amusement from Bryce's pain. Her amusement was only furthered by Bryce getting up and trying to simply jump back onto the treadmill. He face planted onto it and was hurled backwards again by it prompting more amused chuckling from Natalie, "Let's find someone on our team."

The monitor began to change again with every button pushed. First it showed Liam peeling potatoes, then Diane serving drinks to elderly people, and finally Bebe tripping and having drinks spill all over her clothing. One click later and they were on the confessional booth with Wilma in it. She was leaned on her hand with a bored expression coating her face.

"Man, I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. We just keep losing, I thought maybe I'd be able to find enjoyment out here but I guess breaking up with Darren is still messing with me," Wilma sighed from her seat on the toilet. "I don't think my heart's in it…"

"Aw, baby's got a broken heart," Natalie mocked before bursting into laugher. She turned around seeking backup on her zinger only to find Erin and Stephen clutching one another in a rather tearful manner.

"She's so heartbroken," Stephen whimpered.

"But she acts so strong!" Erin added.

"Seriously?" Natalie demanded with a cross of her arms.

With a shove she was pushed aside and Stephen took the controls. He began flipping through the cameras looking for someone. Wilma continued to talk in the confessional while the screen next to her flashed with a variety of contestants. Louise, Warren, Helden, Lloyd, Stewart, and Raina passed by in a flurry before the camera stopped at the gym again. Olga was lifting weights in the background while Bryce tried to compete with her. The humour of that was sidelined as Stephen stared at a new occupant of the treadmills.

Trevor was running on the machine in his workout gear, a tight shirt framed his toned chest, the shorts showed off his legs, and sweat was beading down his face from the intense workout. The guy was attractive, there was no doubt about that and Stephen scratched his chin trying to determine if he would have a girlfriend or not.

"Do it," Erin prompted causing Stephen to exhale and poise a finger over the button that had caused Anne and Yvonne to flee. With a careful tap he pressed it and Wilma looked upwards startled by the sudden noise.

Stephen proceeded to clear his throat and begin speaking into the microphone at the desk in a voice that was a near perfect imitation of Chris', "Wilma go clean the glass at the gym instead of blogging!"

It seemed the right combination of buttons had been pushed as Wilma proceeded to sigh and rise to her feet. Stephen and Erin watched her go, cycling through the cameras as she went. She walked to the gym and stopped outside it spraying the window and beginning to clean it. The boys stared at her with grins on their faces as Wilma's attention began to wander, slowly drifting until it fell onto Trevor running on the treadmill with his muscles pumping and his hair damp from sweat. They stared at her face and nearly burst into cheers when the slightest of smiles crept across it.

Her small smirk turned into an intrigued look, clearly laden with physical attraction, the kind of look people shot someone attractive when they thought that person wasn't paying attention. What exactly was going on in Wilma's head was a mystery but she kept gazing back at Trevor before looking away. Her eyes drifted back and forth until on one odd occasion her face was spotted by Trevor himself. Wilma immediately froze up realizing she'd been seen and the boy stumbled before tumbling off the treadmill. Wilma leapt to her feet causing water to spill all over her clothes before she rushed inwards. A chuckle erupted from Natalie as their teammate and The Shark boy met inside their voices muffled by the music and other equipment in the room.

Erin and Stephen immediately high fived and turned towards Natalie with smirks.

"Impressed?" Stephen asked with a cocky grin.

"Very," Natalie smirked before shoving the boys aside with a devious look on her face. She began to cycle through the cameras passing dinner being set up, their teammates cleaning the halls, and Lara shouting at her teammates. She stopped the cycling at Zilka who was feeding pizza crusts to seagulls. Natalie hit the buzzer and without even imitating Chris at all yelled, "Those tourists are harassing that pelican!"

The sheer panic and urgency in her voice was enough to get Zilka to jump in the air and turn around to see a flock of tourists taking pictures of a seabird that had landed on the railing. Zilka jumped to attention and rushed over shoving a passenger aside and knocking his camera out of his hands in the process. She put herself between the tourists and the animal, blocking their pictures and preventing them from feeding it various bits of food. The seabird gave an angry squawk before flapping its wings and hissing at Zilka. She proclaimed she would protect it seconds before it leapt at her and began to peck and claw.

Natalie chuckled to herself while the events onscreen reflected in her eyes. Zilka ran back and forth apologizing to the bird while the passengers pointed at her and laughed. It was rather amusing and Natalie tapped her chin playfully while the two boys watched her with somewhat worried expressions.

"I think we should stop," Stephen suggested.

"Aw come on, we can mess with loads of people," Natalie responded while an evil grin spread across her face "We can sabotage their scores, mess around with the team dynamics, and even get revenge."

"No, I'm putting my foot down," Stephen replied, crossing his arm stubbornly.

"Even if we mess with Gabriel?" Natalie asked leaning in close to Stephen. His face fell and Natalie directed his eyes to the monitors. Jason was in the process of handing over the mascot costume to their whiny teammate. He hadn't rowed the day prior, had gotten them kidnapped in Korea, and was a general pain to put up with. Natalie knew she had Stephen in her pocket when an equally evil grin spread across his face. The two turned to the monitors giggling and watched the dressing room closely.

A good five minutes passed before Gabriel emerged from the change station grumbling to himself. He looked pissed off for the few minutes he had the mascot head off but the second it was on his visage was hidden from view and they could only watch the clumsy mascot walk to the deck while tripping over his own feet. This was when Natalie flipped a switch turning on all the speakers on the ship except in the hall Gabriel was in.

"Attention all passengers," a snickering Stephen began. His voice was once again real enough to make every head turned towards the speakers curiously, "Anyone who manages to capture The Whimsical Whale mascot and bring it to the mess hall gets a very special prize!"

"Guys…" Erin trailed as the speaker was shut off. Both his teammates turned towards him with very different facial expressions. Natalie looked annoyed with her eyebrows low and eyelids at half-mast, a small frown sat perched below the green windows and the light from the monitors cast her face in a dark shadow that only added to the look. Stephen meanwhile sported a single raised eyebrow and half a face cast in shadows. Erin tapped his hands together awkwardly and ran his teeth over his lip a few times.

"I think messing with people this way isn't right," He commented, unable to look away from Natalie.

"Oh Erin," Natalie sighed with a shake of her head. She grabbed Erin's shoulder and steered him towards the monitors where the main deck was on display, "We aren't going to mess around with the good guys, we helped Wilma after all. But people like Gabriel, people who whine, complain, or act nasty to people, we can give them a little karma with this thing."

"Um…" Erin trailed.

"Take Lara for example," Natalie interrupted pointing a finger at the green team leader as she spoke, "She's a control freak, someone who will squeeze someone of everything they're worth and toss them aside when they speak up. We're going to merge eventually, do you want her on your team when that happens?"

"NO!" Erin exclaimed in a rather panicked fashion. It wasn't hard to imagine Lara pushing him around with a metaphorical whip. Though he hadn't experienced it firsthand he'd seen the way the captain would shove her teammates into eating challenges, yell when her companions screwed up on waves, and blame others when the team lost.

"I see you're conflicted, but just watch," Natalie leered before the doors to the top deck opened and Gabriel emerged in the mascot costume. Every head turned and every person stopped what they were doing. Gabriel paused and looked left and right, likely hosting a perplexed expression under his uniform.

"GET THE WHALE!" A morbidly obese man shouted while pointing at Gabriel. The whale boy gave a scream and turned tail while a horde of passengers chased after him. The legs of the uniform were low so he put on this awkward waddle of a run that was absolutely hysterical to Natalie and Stephen. The passengers quickly caught up and while Erin watched in horror his companions held broad grins and wide unblinking eyes that reflected the carnage and ensuing fight on the monitors.

Gabriel shrieked and shouted as he was grabbed, pushed, and nearly pulled in half by a bunch of adults looking for a free meal. The morbidly obese man fell off his medical scooter onto two scrawny guys with terrible facial hair while an old lady bashed people on the head with her cane. A large man held another in a choke hold while one woman pile drove another. Gabriel tried to escape but his legs were grabbed by a top heavy man with dark skin before he was dragged screaming into the fray with his flippers leaving scratches in the carpet.

"I could watch this all day," Stephen chuckled.

"Dude had it coming," Natalie scoffed, popping a hip as she said this. "All he does is complain that we're living in squalor and talk about how rich his dad is. Must be so hard having parents like that, the million dollar prize is probably petty cash to him, freaking brat."

As she said this the top heavy black man broke from the crowd taking Gabriel with him causing others gave chase. Natalie watched him go with a glare before her gaze returned to the monitor showing the main deck. The mass exodus of passengers had left a complete mess of empty cups, plates, and garbage stern around the poolside. The girls from The Putrid Plankton were cleaning up, though Stephen seemed to notice something.

"Anne and Yvonne seem eager to leave," Stephen commented with a scratch of his chin. He was right, Anne and Yvonne were trying to get close to one another but Lara seemed adamant on making them clean in separate areas. Her voice rose high and shrill over the deck shouting about how it was best if they broke the area up into sections, hers being the largest of course. This didn't just apply to Anne and Yvonne either. No one seemed to be allowed to stand remotely close to another player on the team. Almost like Lara didn't want them interacting and would fight them if they argued.

"Weird," Natalie mused watching Lara continue to prowl about swiping her head to a fro and looking for any glares or sideways glances.

"Um… Guys," Erin piped up drawing attention away from Lara and onto one of the smaller monitors that was trained on a hallway. Chris himself was walking down it with a paper drinking cup filled with who knows what. His general direction and annoyed look showed that he was leaving some sort of relaxing environment to go and review footage, something he probably wasn't enthused about. If he caught them in the control room there was every possibility that he'd trade in some travel points for a triple elimination.

"I'm on it!" Stephen exclaimed before cracking his hands outwards and opening the PA system.

"Lara, your work here has impressed me, please find me in the third floor corridor for your well-deserved promotion," Stephen explained trying to keep his coy grin from interfering with his imitation.

The three Whale players watched as a look of pure joy spread across Lara's face before being replaced by a cocky smirk like she had expected something like this to happen. She began laughing and talking to her teammates about how hard work was always rewarding and her gloating was clearly annoying every teammate she had. Natalie began to rotate her hand in a silent urging. Chris was getting closer and closer on the monitors and they needed Lara to hurry. Thankfully the green team captain burst into a run and hurried through the ship. Excitement bubbled on her face and she zipped about the floors in a way they hadn't seen from her before. There was a childish glee to the way she held herself, little skips and jumps that hinted at some buried personality that had long been lost to the demands of employment.

Everyone watched with baited breath as she intercepted Chris and began talking in excitement to him. An annoyed look overcame his face and an equally annoyed look came over her face. They began shouting at one another and the three Whale Players knew they didn't have much time. They shifted over to the big monitor and watched as The Putrid Plankton slacked off and drifted together. Anne and Yvonne exchanged a look before they both walked toward the tables overlooking the edge of the boat. Stephen cycled through cameras before halting right near the duo. The audio piped up and all three players listened with keen ears.

"-and when she does she'll kill us," Yvonne hissed under her breath.

"We just need to play it cool," Anne replied with a deep exhale. "Anyone could be lying in her books, we just need to use it to our advantage."

"How Anne? She's so thorough it's scary," Yvonne replied while glancing back at the rest of the team, "We can't even trust our teammates, they might rat us out."

Both girls fell silent and drifted apart when Bebe turned around. Their gazes were shot in random directions and they went a few moments without talking. Pure panic was present in their eyes and it was easy to see why. The Whales could literally see Lara shrieking at Chris through another monitor while the host threatened elimination. Then with a heave, Lara turned back towards the main deck and Chris began walking towards the camera room.

"That was it, just who they voted for?!" Natalie growled while crossing her arms, "I want some real drama, I want to see people fighting and arguing about their petty lives!"

"What about the Calamari?" Erin asked while pointing at the kitchen displayed on the screen.

The Yellow team had spent most of the afternoon setting up for dinner that evening and with the task completed they'd taken some downtime before the rush started. Since they'd be eliminating someone that evening discussions had quickly turned towards that very subject, something the three Red players hadn't ever seen before. They knew the intricacies of their own team but to actually see The Creepy Calamari on display was glorious, especially to Natalie

"-Well I say we eliminate the person who screwed up the most," Liam announced. "In other words Bubba, Nadie, or Stewart."

"What?!" Bubba demanded in pure shock.

"You said you had the challenge in the bag!" Nadie exclaimed while shoving him to the side. "The better question is why you decided to pick me!"

"It's because you balance like a cat with no tail," Stewart muttered while glaring at his teammate.

"Oh and you did so much today mister wonderful personality!" Nadie retorted sarcastically.

"You're all useless!" Liam exclaimed with his voice carrying over the three members of his team. "Whoever gets the worst scores tonight gets my vote!"

"Hah," Natalie laughed before the trio of Red players scurried out of the camera room.

The door shut just as Chris rounded the corner. He paused in front of the trio slurping on his drink in the most nerve inducing manner possible before reaching forward and placing the empty cup right on Natalie's head. He then walked into the editing suite closing the door seconds before the cup made contact with it. Leftover purple liquid splattered all over the frame before Natalie reared her head with barred teeth.

"I HATE THAT GUY!" She shouted, though her complaining didn't get far, her companions weren't about to argue. They simply got back to work instead.

It was slow progress, especially after seeing so much footage. The last thing the trio wanted to do was clean the floors and empty the garbage but they were doing it anyway and their minds were clearly preoccupied with what they'd seen and done that day. There were details they could leverage, apologies that had to be made, and secrets that had to be kept. Only one thought permeated what they did for the remainder of their time though, the impending elimination of one of the Creepy Calamari players.

Bubba was definitely on Natalie's mind. She could recall the challenge that day, sure he had blown it at their final moment but prior to that he'd been dominating. Plus the fact he was a well-toned and easy going guy added to the appeal. Much more than Nadie's shrill voice, tomboyish demeanour, and foul attitude. The only one in a fouler mood than her was Stewart, who seemed perpetually moody and annoyed, almost like he didn't want to be in the competition at all. His elimination would definitely lighten the mood of the entire cruise ship.

Stephen meanwhile couldn't help but focus on Nadie. Prior challenges had proven her to be a powerhouse and team player. Sure she was a little overzealous and quick to snap, but she was definitely the least useless of the three options. Stewart just seemed to brood constantly and had definitely extended his teenage rebellion phase far too long. However, he was at least silent, Bubba reminded Stephen of Jason. They were both braggarts who oversold their abilities and claimed to be peak performers when in reality they were just egomaniacs more interested in looking like they were on top than benefitting a team.

Erin meanwhile found Stewart's bluntness rather appealing. The guy didn't hide anything, connive, or cause much of a disturbance. It was when his teammates prodded him that he lost it. Keeping him around was definitely a better choice than the more antagonistical options. Bubba was a glory hound and Nadie seemed to be perpetually looking for a fight, things Erin wasn't really fond of.

All three players remained deep in thought until the halls began to swarm with passengers on their way to dinner. Overweight customers looking for a good meal, kids that hated vegetables, and men that were way too specific on how they wanted their steaks cooked. The three red players watched the swarm move past them with annoyed eyes. When the crowd had finally passed they all exchanged a look and got back to work.

"I wonder who's going home," Erin mused.

"Probably Bubba," Stephen responded.

"Oh and let me guess, you want Nadie to stick around?" Natalie asked in a mocking tone. "Do you have a crush on her? Do you want to kiss her?!"

"Pfft, no." Stephen responded with a roll of his eyes. "And hey, it might be Stewart going home!"

"No way! He's like an angsty reality check that keeps his team on track," Erin argued while abandoning his work. All three players stared one another down, their small level cheering for a member of the opposing team transforming into full on loyalty. Their brains made their own player out to be a perfect angel while also blowing the flaws of the others out of proportion.

"Oh I'll make sure of it," Natalie smirked while the other two stared at her. "I'LL MAKE SURE YOU GUYS FAIL!"

With that she took off running leaving Erin and Stephen alone. They glanced at one another before Erin began laughing and put a hand on Stephen's shoulder. "Okay, we're not actually going to interfere…"

"No way," Stephen responded with a laugh before his hands shot out and shoved Erin to the ground. The boy fell onto his rump in shock while Stephen bolted down the hallway. Erin quickly scrambled to his feet and scurried after him, tripping as he went thanks to an untied shoelace.

Natalie had a head start but Stephen had longer legs and the physique of an athlete. So they both ended up bursting into the dining hall at the same time. People sat at tables creating a low murmur that gave the room a nice ambiance. Stephen's eyes fell on Nadie who was taking an order from a table and he began moving towards her. He crept near her and ducked when she pressed her line of vision in his direction. The patrons at the table Stephen was hiding behind stared at him in a curious manner while he crouched near them. He gave the gentleman at the table an awkward smile before popping his head upwards. He gave a quick apology before darting to another table and continuing to trail after Nadie.

"Dang it, this salt is stuck," An older man muttered from the table Stephen was crouched behind. He blinked before grabbing the salt shaker from the man's hand and grabbing the pepper too. The old man gave a cry of protest but Stephen was already gone. He zipped from table to table taking condiments, silverware, and even drinks. He then dove through one of the exits and peered back in through the window. People began shouting at Nadie demanding the very things Stephen had stolen and handing out thanks as they received them. The kind comments made a twisted grin course over Stephen's face in response.

Natalie meanwhile had burst through the kitchen doors and slunk along the wall avoiding everyone's eye line. They were all busy at work, or at least most of them were. Bubba was haphazardly stirring a pop of noodles sloshing water everywhere and creating an annoying sizzle and unorthodox amount of steam. The guy was clearly suffering from a complete lack of cooking skills and limited desire to work. Natalie wouldn't let that stand.

"That pasta better be ready in five seconds or so help me," Liam shouted from the other side of the kitchen while jabbing a finger at Bubba.

"Whatever," Bubba muttered under his breath, he immediately stepped away from his station to go grab a plate. Natalie in the meantime rose to her feet, keeping several appliances between her and the rest of the Creepy Calamari and quickly stirred the pot once. The heat was too low so she fixed it and quickly picked up a plate, she flung it with all her might and it hit the wall right next to Kiara startling her and drawing a scream. Everyone paid attention to her while Natalie scurried over to Josh's station. She turned his heat up to the max and the food quickly began to sizzle louder and darken. She then hurried back to the pasta station, stirred it a few more times, and strained it in the nearby sink. She then plated four plates and hid again right before Bubba returned. He saw the pasta and looked left and right before shrugging and taking it to the counter.

Just as he put it down in front of the window Josh's food ignited causing flames to spark upwards. Josh gave a yelp of pure shock and surprise and began desperately trying to save his food. Liam stormed over and Natalie quickly rolled over to his station fixing salads. She strained the cold water from the salad spinner before filling it again, except this time with hot water. She put it back on the counter and scurried back to her hiding place seconds before Liam came over. He placed his hands on the side of the spinner before recoiling in pain and dropping it onto the floor. Shouting erupted and the kitchen quickly descended into Chaos with only Bubba's food being presented as finished. Natalie's grin couldn't have been wider.

Erin entered the mess hall around this time to find Stewart standing at a table looking as unenthused as he possibly could be. A family sat before him and the mother had a seemingly endless series of requests that he sighed in response to.

"Can you make her a hot dog?" The woman asked.

"No," Stewart responded.

"We had hot dogs this morning, my daughter wants a hot dog," The woman retorted.

"Hot dogs aren't on the dinner menu," Stewart replied in the most deadpan tone possible.

"I want to speak to a manager," The woman hissed causing Stewart to sigh and roll his eyes.

"We don't have a manager lady," was Stewart's lazy voiced response. The woman glared at him with a hiss on her voice and a growl on her throat. Stewart continued to stare at her while she shouted at him. She and her family ended up rising and leaving the restaurant in a huff. Stewart remained standing there as deadpan as possible. This was when Erin approached him and stood next to him with a grin.

"What are you smiling about?" Stewart asked before Erin took his tray and bashed him on the head with it. Stewart raised a hand like he was going to protest before slumping over in an unconscious heap. Erin then grabbed his legs and proceeded to drag him away.

Stewart's absence put an inordinate amount of pressure on Nadie, every customer wanted her attention and none of them were getting enough. She raced to a fro with pitchers of water, silverware, napkins, and condiments. People kept complaining about a thief but she couldn't see one, all she knew was that she was getting peeved at the entire situation. On the fifth fork she delivered to an elderly Mr. Cooper she was scanning for signs of a thief and she caught sight of one. A hand shooting up over a table, grabbing a cup and splashing it into Mrs. Fox's face. She stormed over and rounded the table. The tablecloth shook and the ladies at the table gasped as someone moved under it. Nadie lifted the cloth but the thief had already escaped.

She saw the figure dart behind another table so she scurried around the ladies and followed that thief. He stole forks, cups, and salt shakers while she chased him shouting for him to stop. People kept calling her name and every time she turned her head she'd lose the kleptomaniac. She kept her eyes peeled for the figure and when a sixth fork was delivered to Mr. Cooper she had enough. She ran around a table spotting a large figure running away from her. She leapt over a table knocking over water glasses and misjudged the feet under it. The table immediately toppled sending silverware and beverages splashing all over her. Rage filled her as she threw the tablecloth off and she immediately stormed after her target in a complete rage.

Her distraction allowed Erin to re-enter the room wearing Stewart's uniform. He drifted right up to a table sporting the brightest of smiles and grinned at the occupants.

"Why hello, I'm Stewart," Erin lied while gazing happily at the people before him. "What can I get for you tonight?"

"I want a hot dog," The little boy at the table smiled.

"And you'll get one," Erin responded with a cheery point of his finger.

"I was wondering if I can get the chicken cordon bleu without cheese," The man at the table requested.

"No problem," Erin replied without losing his grin.

"And would it be possible to get the lobster ravioli the blue team cooked last night? It was extraordinary," The woman at the table concluded.

"Well, that's a problem for the cooks to solve," Erin chuckled before finishing the order and walking away with a smile on his face.

Across the restaurant Nadie was losing her patience, she had taken to tearing the table clothes and anything on them off the tables. A thief catching method her customers weren't too enthused about. She kicked over potted plants, threw water jugs at the figure, and even pushed a few patrons out of the way. Her shouts filled the air calling out to Stephen who was quickly running out of places to hide.

The boy stopped near one of Stewart's table and overheard the customers talking about that positive attitude. He blinked in confusion before peering over the table to find that the other server in yellow clothing was none other than Erin. A frown spread over his face and he quickly slunk over to the window where Erin was picking up plates of foot. A roll and kick was all it took to trip Erin and send pasta splattering all over the ground. Nadie turned her head just in time to get a plate of it to her face. She yelped in pain, rubbed her eyes, and fell onto a table knocking food onto people's laps. Just as Stephen was about to speak Liam's angered voice filled the air.

"WHAT?! HOT DOGS?! RAVIOLI?! CORDON BLEU WITHOUT CHEESE?! THE CHEESE INSIDE THE FREAKING DISH STEWART?! WHERE IS HE?!" Liam screamed in rage.

"I'm down here," Stephen called out in the least convincing Stewart voice possible.

"THERE THEY ARE! THE ONES RUINING DINNER!" One of the customers shouted causing Nadie to stand up with her eyes still clamped shut.

"I'm going to kill whoever you are," Nadie announced in the most serious voice possible. Both boys paled in response before Nadie gave a scream of rage and charged at them. They both rolled to the side and Nadie crashed into the wall. She sat up with rage filling her face right before Natalie popped up from the window. Her hands shot out shoving a plate of fish and a plate of salad with vinegar onto Nadie. She gave a snarl as vinegar fell into her eyes while both boys popped to their feet. Erin gave a small noise of discomfort while Nadie grabbed the plates that had fallen and flung them with insane accuracy at Erin's face. He ducked and they smashed against the wall while Nadie charged to his last known position. Erin slid behind a table and Stephen did likewise while the waitress prowled around, the vinegar in her eyes finally wiping away and giving her vision alongside her already impressive hunting abilities.

Customers watched the events like it was a game, Erin and Stephen moving around tables while Nadie walked left and right kicking silverware and broken shards of cups as she went. Erin and Stephen finally ran into one another facing the kitchen and as they did Liam burst from it with a bill angrily clasped in his hands.

"STEWART I- I… What the heck are you two doing here?!" He demanded right before the scruffs of their shirts were grabbed by Nadie and they were both hoisted upwards.

"I'm going to-" Nadie started before Stephen lifted a cup and splashed ice cold water into her face. Nadie stumbled backwards releasing both of them and they both darted forward, rushing past Liam and jumping through the window. They kicked over salad in boiling water, knocked fish into the deep fryers, an caused a hundred and one pasta dishes to crash to the ground and shatter. A bowl of mashed potatoes fell on Stephen's head while the cooks glared at them and a grin spread across both boy's faces.

* * *

Nadie wasn't easy on them when she thrust them out of the dining hall. They stumbled forward and she threw silverware at them until they ran off in both pain and fear. She shouted insults after them and before long she was able to return to the dining room and begin cleaning up. Tables were reset, silverware was put down, and orders were taken with actual menu items. Unfortunately a lot of the food was ruined so instead of fancy dishes, pasta was put out for the customers to consume. The sheer amount of praise Bubba was receiving for his cooking was unmatched. They served the last of their customers and once the job was done the PA crackled to life calling the team for elimination.

With her work done Natalie sauntered back to the hallway with a proud look on her face. She halted before Erin and Stephen and took her time to soak in the pathetic looks on their faces and gloat. She then got right back to cleaning out the germ filled garbage cans without so much as another word. It was just busywork though, as Chris quickly exited the security room and her shoe was between the door and its frame before he was even down the hall.

All three players rushed to the monitors and stared at them while Chris set up for elimination. He got into position, an intern brought him the mints, and he kept staring at his reflection in his watch. It took some time for the Creepy Calamari to arrive and when they did only eight of the nine players entered the area. Stewart was completely absent.

"Haw Haw," Natalie laughed in response to this.

Chris loomed before the other team, cast in that blue glow from the pool. For the first time it didn't look intimidating but rather somber and cool. All three Whales stared at Chris fearfully while he swept his eyes over the eight Calamari.

"So close to winning today," Chris mused with a shake of his head. "Makes you wonder what would happen if a certain player had concentrated."

"I scored ten out of ten on three other runs," Bubba boasted proudly. "No one else on this pathetic team had numbers even close to that. I got fantastic scores for my cooking tonight and I singlehandedly carried my team back in The Philippines."

"Singlehandedly?" Nadie asked with pure venom lining her voice.

"Actually Bubba, we've discredited all your scores from dinner tonight," Chris stated while glancing at the camera, "Seems someone forgot to wash their hands…"

Natalie immediately paled from the other side of that camera, her eyes drifted downwards to her open hands that had been touching filth all day. They raised again to see the Creepy Calamari glaring at Bubba angrily.

"So let me guess," Liam started in an absolutely sarcastic tone.

"Congratulations, your team wins a disadvantage in the challenge tomorrow… again!" Chris exclaimed with his broad grin getting broader. "It's also time to vote!"

The three watching teens turned their heads to stare at the confessional monitor. Nadie opened it first and yelped in surprise upon seeing Stewart lying completely unconscious in his underwear. Natalie and Stephen glanced over at Erin who still had the boy's uniform on. He began whistling and avoiding eye contact in response.

Nadie shoved Stewart out of the way and sat down to stamp a passport. She slammed the stamper down but refrained from showing her vote. She was quickly replaced by Kiara who also kept her vote secret. She was quickly in and out of the room without so much as a word. Frank followed her and took his time gazing between three passports. He tossed one aside eventually and continued to shift his eyes from left to right while scratching his small amount of facial hair. Natalie began to tap her foot impatiently while a look of annoyance crossed her face, Frank however couldn't hear her and continued to take his sweet time.

Bubba was much quicker. He entered the room, stamped a passport and held it up for all to see. Liam was voted for and all three Whale players stared at his choice in pure confusion. He wasn't the only one either. Louise joined him with a rather arbitrary vote for Liam. Why they were targeting a strong player who had helped players off the bus on the first day was a mystery they could only guess answers to.

Things got back to normal with Liam who held up a vote for Bubba with a snarl written on his face, he was followed by Josh who raised a vote for Stewart. Lastly Stewart himself stumbled into the confessional looking both cold and dizzy. He picked up the stamper and cast a vote for an unknown person before leaving. Every eye was back on the pool within seconds where an intern whispered something to the host before rushing off. Chris then turned to the Calamari with a grin, desperate to drag things out as long as possible.

"The following players are safe," Chris started before grabbing a mint and raising it into the air. "Frank!"

The boy breathed a sigh of relief and caught the small throwaway treat.

"Josh, Kiara, and Lucile…" Chris continued tossing mints to the players before sweeping his gaze over the rest. "Nadie…"

"YEAH!" Stephen exclaimed in response before turning to Natalie with a confident face. She responded by grabbing it and shoving him aside.

"Louise," Chris continued uninterrupted by the talking in the monitor room. He placed his gaze onto Liam, Stewart, and Bubba looking at each of them with reflective teeth. Bubba yawned, Liam stared at him with narrowed eyes, and Stewart shuddered from his lack of clothing. Chris raised the second last mint and called out Stewart's name.

Erin breathed a sigh of relief as Bubba glanced at Liam and Liam ignored Bubba, taking interest in his hand instead. Chris raised the final mint drawing it into the air with a gleam. Both boys refused to look at it, completely confident they'd receive it. Natalie stared at Bubba biting her lip while Stephen laughed next to her. Chris raised the mint, she trembled in fear and his mouth parted. "the final mint goes to…

…

…

…

…

…

… Liam," Chris concluded.

Pure seething despair shot through Natalie. Her limbs were like jelly and a single scream of no escaped her lips. Bubba gasped in shock and glanced at his team before rising to his feet with a huff and marching towards the lifeboat of losers. Natalie had lost, every part of her was filled with annoyance, anger, and mistrust. She wanted to curl up in a ball and cry at the same time. Her lips parted again, her arms fell to her sides, she shot a hip out, and blew some hair out of her eyes.

"Well I'm bored," Natalie lamented, completely forgetting any care she had shown for Bubba mere seconds earlier. She used her thumb to scratch her ring finger and watched it with half closed eyes. Bubba's yell as he fell into the ocean was completely ignored while Erin and Stephen stared at Natalie with wide eyed expressions.

"You didn't actually care?" Erin asked.

"Nope," Natalie replied as the three walked out of the room and back to their cleaning. "Dude had the IQ of a jellyfish."

"Oh so you got all those passengers sick on purpose then," Stephen chuckled before Natalie grabbed him by the shirt and thrust him against the wall.

"AND WHAT IF I DID?!" She demanded in anger.

"I'm just going to go now…" Erin trailed while backing away. He turned the corner leaving Natalie and Stephen alone. She reared her head again to face him and he nearly flinched back.

"So what do you want to do now?" Stephen asked fearfully.

"Oh you know, mess with some people, blackmail a few more, the fun stuff," Natalie shrugged while releasing Stephen and picking up a smoothie cup that had been placed on the ground. She crushed it with a single clench and tossed it in the trash with a simple throw. She then proceeded to flip her hair back and strike a confident pose, "And I think it would be the most fun to start by revealing the results of a specific vote to a specific player…"


	8. New Zealand Story

**Total Drama Ocean Cruise**

 **Chapter VIII: New Zealand Story**

 **Written By The Firebending Frog**

* * *

"Attention all passengers, we're looking at clear skies and smooth waters as we sail towards our next mystery destination," Chris' voice explained over the intercom. "In the meantime enjoy the ride and indulge in one of our overcomplicated drinks from the smoothie bar. The kids working it go faster if you yell."

"And the morning already sucks," Anne muttered in complete deadpan before exchanging a look with Yvonne.

Practically the second the words exited her mouth Lara was looming before them with seething rage written on her face and deep suspicion lining her eyes. She looked just about ready to do away with the elimination ceremony and throw the both of them overboard at that very second. The only issue with that prospect was that it was just suspicion.

"Anne was just saying-" Yvonne started before a finger was jabbed at her face making her flinch backwards to avoid it.

"You know the rules, no one speaks to anyone else until we find out who the enemy is," Lara hissed while slashing her eyes back and forth between the two girls before her.

"And what if that enemy manages to convince people to turn on us because YOU'RE BEING COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS!" Yvonne shouted, pushing Lara's hand away as she spoke.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Yvonne's a little too aggressive to be my prey," Lara laments with a scratch of her chin. "Whomever it is will be acting as friendly as humanly possible to cover their butt… Like Anne…"

* * *

"Can't we all just get along, you know, be a team?" Anne asked while switching her eyes between Lara and Yvonne. Lara was practically burning holes in Anne's body with her retinas while Yvonne sighed and gripped her forehead. Maybe she could act her way out of this but Anne was perpetually one sentence away from revealing her involvement in the vote.

"We lost the chance to be a unified unit when two people on our team betrayed me," Lara hissed while shifting her eyes back to Yvonne, looking for any signs of aggression or apology in her eyes. Yvonne just looked done though, like the last thing she wanted to do was get involved in another argument.

Any further conversation was interrupted by customers deciding to take Chris' advice and order overcomplicated drinks. With Anne and Yvonne busy, Lara turned her gaze to the rest of her team. Bebe, Diane, and Zilka moved around the deck serving food and drinks to the passengers. Bebe tripped over her own feet again while Lara watched and she scowled in annoyance upon seeing it. Bebe was too timid to stand up to her and her clumsiness would have exposed her ages ago. It only meant one thing to Lara, Bebe was on her side and as much as it pained her to admit it she would be staying on the team. The sheer amount of disgust she felt at that reality was unable to be stated. Bebe was prime for firing in any workplace. Her lack of coordination would cost any business money and had the whole team voted for Sophie, Bebe would have been Lara's next target. But because of two traitors Bebe was destined to stay in the competition for at least two more eliminations, if not longer.

Lara knew she'd eliminate Bebe eventually but for the moment she was trustworthy. It was better to have a klutz around a workplace than a thief, and in Lara's books thieves were first and foremost when it came to elimination. The girls who would take buckets of ice cream home when they still had product in them, the boys who thought they were clever and could nix everyone's tips, and worst of all the criminals rooting through her purse in the break room. Bebe was a small problem compared to them and as much as she hated the reality of the situation Bebe was her most trustworthy ally.

The girl was busy picking up the cups she's spilled and the ice that had fallen with them when Lara appeared over her. The girl glanced over with a timid look that was so readable she might have well been a book. She was worried about Lara yelling at her for her mistake, not for any involvement in elimination. The rapid fire apologies basically proved that. On any other team the bubble-gum haired girl would have been cannon fodder, but they were The Putrid Plankton with such alumni as Bree, Nia, and Nancy. So she was actually on the better end of the team all things considered.

"I'll clean it up," Bebe apologized before Lara gave a deep exhale and clenched her fists, mentally preparing herself for what she was going to do. The words hadn't even left her mouth and she was already cringing at them.

"No… Urk… Big deal," Lara shuddered, feeling bile rise in her throat at the completely false compliment. A series of rapid fire insults wracked her brain to counteract it. Bebe was useless, she was as coordinated as a one legged horse, and she probably had face surgery at some point in her life to alleviate the pummeling her nose must have taken. Only once these insults were out was she ready to continue. Her mouth spread outwards painfully. Her lips quivering and parting to reveal a pained looking smile that made Bebe pale.

"So… I wanted to talk strategy," Lara announced through her grit teeth. "I was wondering if you'd seen anything weird from our teammates?"

"Weird…" Bebe trailed unable to think of anything but the cringing smile Lara had put on upon approaching her. The pink haired girl tapped her fingers together awkwardly and chewed on her lip a little in response. "I mean your face… I mean smile… I mean you're smiling…"

Lara had to resist strangling her in response.

Bebe seemed to catch that this wasn't what she was looking for because she quickly averted her eyes and paused for a moment before returning her gaze to Lara. "Wait are we in an alliance?"

"Why wouldn't we be?" Lara asked through her continued strain to keep a smile. Her brain automatically listed about seven thousand reasons why they weren't but she managed to choke down her shout and continue to focus on Bebe "So, tell me, have you seen anything going on with the other girls?"

As expected Bebe simply shook her head no proving just how useless she was as an ally. Lara simply drew in a deep breath and let it go in response knowing full well her future in the game was about to become incredibly frustrating.

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

Early morning wakeups and showers were something every losing team had to partake in, but for The Sinister Sharks a morning routine had been established by their fifth day in the winning cabin. Everyone knew that Warren wouldn't be up until noon, the gym would be a popular attraction, and most of their free time would be spent in the suite. Besides Lloyd, no one liked the glaring looks the other teams gave them so everyone had fallen into habitual activities. Renee would be seated on the couch sketching things while most of the gym crowd took advantage of the hot tub or sauna. So when Warren exited his room to find Trevor of all people seated at the table he found it to be exceptionally odd.

"Shower!" was the first thing said to him. Roxie had her finger pointed right at the bathroom and that familiar look in her eyes. Warren gave a loud yawn and walked away grumbling. No lazy Sunday's watching television in pajamas would exist so long as her royal neat freak was around. So he took a quick shower and emerged to find Trevor still sitting at the table seemingly deep in thought. This made him purse his lips and walk towards the television trying his best to ignore the boy.

The usual inhabitants of the lounge were himself, Renee, and Roxie. He knew because Roxie constantly complained about snack crumbs and eraser shavings at any chance she got. Things unique to him and Renee respectively. She'd go on a rant about respect and blah blah blah then make him wash his hands before touching the remote. No one else got a thorough chewing out because no one else enjoyed hanging around the lounge while the television blared.

Warren put on an action based show about secret agents hunting down members of a splinter group to get his mind off the strange new inhabitant. It was pretty cool and managed to eat up his attention until a door opened in the rear of the ship and Raina herself entered. She was the only thing able to tear Warren's attention from the screen. She gave a short greeting and vacated the room rather quickly after that, walking down the hall to the hot tub located at the far end of first class. Before she went she gave a quick view of her swimsuit, a nice blue two piece that revealed her frame and build. Her most defined feature was definitely her waist which was curved inwards smoothly from her hips. If Warren was delighted to see her in regular clothing than seeing her in a swimsuit was enough to make his face ignite with a bright pink tone.

Raina turned, gave a quick greeting to Trevor, and quickly walked down the hall. Trevor returned the greeting before gazing off into space again with a dreamy look in his eyes, nearly the same look that Warren had. Panic immediately swarmed Warren's mind as realization slammed into him like a truck. The dreamy look in his eyes, strange place to be sitting, and fact he wanted to spend his free time staring off into space. Warren recalled Raina handing Trevor an ice pack, giving him compliments, and cheering him on during the surfing challenge the day before. Trevor was clearly smitten and it was causing Warren's eye to twitch and mind to fill with grief.

But no, that couldn't be it, Trevor hadn't shown Raina any interest before, why would he start showing it now? Maybe he was just feeling homesick or something.

Warren stood up from his position on the couch, drawing a sideways look from Renee as he went. She watched him rise to his feet and approach their teammate with mild curiosity scrawled on her face. The other boy was muscular, exercised, and tall while Warren was overweight, sporting patchy facial hair, and poor eyesight. He stopped near Trevor and for the first time that day Trevor broke out of his haze to see Warren standing above him.

"You doing alright there Trevor?" Warren asked nervously.

"ALL RIGHT?!" Trevor exclaimed in pure joy before rising to his feet and grabbing Warren's shoulders. "I'm better than okay! I've found the girl of my dreams!"

"Girl of your dreams…" Warren trailed while staring off into space.

"I didn't really notice her at first but our eyes locked yesterday and I found love in those clear blue eyes…" Trevor sighed as he released Warren and turned to stare out the window with a smile on his face.

Warren meanwhile shuddered picturing Raina in his head. Her blue eyes opening and batting at him while a comfortable smile lay on her lips. Her eyes filled with so much intelligence and thought while also delivering a caring look at the same time. He found himself enraptured by his own fantasy forced to stare at her sweet and attractive eyes as they drifted away from him and fell on Trevor.

"We were face to face and in that moment we locked eyes, startled by what we'd found, I tripped and she got her shirt all wet. But we held hands for a few seconds before parting. When I get my next chance I shall woo her!" Trevor announced triumphantly. "Then we shall start a relationship and get married and…"

"Woo her…" Warren trailed before shaking his head and narrowing his eyes with confidence. "Hah! You can't woo her… Because I will!"

"WHAT?!" Trevor demanded with a sudden turn and his face contorting into a look of shock as he moved.

"I saw her first man! Back off!" Warren exclaimed with a quick motion to himself. It was a motion he immediately regretted as seconds later Trevor was looming over him, much taller and more imposing than he had looked sitting down and keeping his distance.

"Oh sure, she'd totally want to go out with a loser like you!" Trevor laughed while gazing over Warren. "All you do is sit on a couch all day and mess up in every challenge. How about you step off and find a nice band geek who watches anime all day."

"Hey!" Warren exclaimed in anger before stepping forward with confidence blooming in his chest.

"I know I'll woo her because I'm going to write a poem!" Trevor announced.

"Well I'll write a better one!" Warren shouted back before the two boys leaned in close to one another with their teeth barred and their eyes narrowed. They stared one another down until Trevor pulled back with a huff and stormed out of the room and down the hall. Warren glared after him and gave a deep exhale before turning and walking back to the couch. He sat down next to Renee, who pretended she had been drawing instead of listening, and glanced over at the redhead.

"Let me guess…" She trailed with a mocking tone in her voice. "You're not a poet…"

"English is my worst subject," Warren admitted in a whisper. Renee drew in a deep breath in response and released it with a fall of her shoulders in response.

Trevor meanwhile stalked down the hallway muttering to himself. He too wasn't a poet and held a rather annoyed look on his face as he passed multiple rooms, coming to a halt outside the private pool area. Inside he could see multiple members of the team diving around in the small body of water but they weren't really on his mind. His eyes instead drifted to the hot tub and the solitary person sitting in it. Raina lay in the water with a content smile on her face and seeing her made an idea pop into Trevor's head. He pushed the door open and walked across the tile floor towards the team captain, halting right at the water's edge.

Raina cracked a blue eye open and blinked twice before greeting him with a chipper tone. He inhaled deeply in response very certain that he was at the right person.

"How good are you with poetry?" He asked causing Raina to blink in response.

"Why are we asking?" Raina questioned with curiosity coating her words.

"I kind of like a girl in the competition but there's this other guy and I'm the worst at poetry, so I need someone to write a poem for me," Trevor admitted while holding his arms out and gazing at Raina pleadingly.

"Nuh uh, you need to a write a poem Trevor, then you can bring it to me for proofreading," Raina replied with a held up hand. "Getting someone else to write a poem won't impress any girl, trust me."

"Okay… OKAY!" Trevor exclaimed with confidence. "I'll see you in an hour… Maybe longer!"

With that he rushed out of the room leaving Raina to shrug and sit back again to resume relaxing, completely unaware of the complexity of the situation.

* * *

 **The Whimsical Whales**

* * *

"Look at them," Natalie chuckled as she gazed across the deck at the players from the green team scattered about the drink area. No one was around to hear her but she still spoke the words anyway. The day prior had bestowed her with leverage, leverage she wasn't quite sure how to use yet.

On one hand she could tell Lara about her knowledge over the most recent vote. Lara would fly into a rage and act irrationally, it was just who Lara was. She liked to pretend she had a mind above everyone else and emotions in check when in reality she was probably the most unstable on the team. Natalie didn't even have to tell her the truth. In all honesty she could easily tell Lara that Zilka was behind the vote, though that wouldn't do her much good. Yvonne and Anne happened to be on the stronger end of the team. Zilka was a joke, Bebe was a klutz, and the third one with the brown hair was just kind of there. She didn't really stand out, her name was slipping Natalie's mind, and she hadn't done anything of note yet. What good would telling Lara one of those three was responsible do? Nothing, it would instead make the team stronger, though she could hold the second name over Lara's head and send her into a tizzy.

No, the true plot had to be getting rid of Lara herself. Lara, despite being on the absolute worst team of the season, was probably in the top ten players in terms of strength. If she wasn't on the pathetic team they'd probably be down to three players instead of six. A better, though harder to pull of plot was to start blackmailing Yvonne and Anne. The threat of telling Lara was much greater than the act of actually telling her, that much was certain.

Though there was also the option of telling Lara when Natalie was about to lose a challenge. The information would likely throw off Lara's game and allow a free passage into safety. It was kind of a delicious option. A get out of losing free card that she could literally shout at any moment. The only downside would be failing to stick around to watch the carnage. Seeing Lara get physically violent was like a dream Natalie wanted to live through. Heck, she was actually tempted to cross the deck and open her mouth, letting out a sweet call before notifying Lara of who her enemies were.

The only issue with that was that she was on the lifeguard tower at that very moment surrounded by overweight tourists complaining about the near perfect weather. Her evil grin and drama hungry eyes were out of place by the serene poolside. But she didn't care. She just leered at her foes from across the ship. The green team was standing on shaking legs, every time they lost a member they had to shift that member's role onto another player. Eventually Bebe would be strapped with balancing or Zilka with eating. One or two more losses and they'd be spinning out of control, falling into an abyss never to return. Natalie could wait but she wanted to see that out of control spiral so badly. No, she needed to see it and would leap at the first opportunity, whether it saved her team from losing or not.

* * *

At around two in the afternoon Chris' voice crackled over the intercom demanding the presence of every player on the rear deck. It was easy to see why as a large helicopter landed in the secluded area. They were quickly shoved inside and flown right off the ship towards a series of islands they'd been weaving through. The helicopter was loud, bumpy, and piloted by a guy with dreadlocks that smelled like he didn't bathe. It was safe to say worry spread through everyone, and that worry only increased when they arrived at their destination. They landed outside a large building with massive domes and were shooed out of the vehicle in a hurry. Chris was already there, having taken his own helicopter, and seemed annoyed that they'd taken so long to arrive.

The building had a massive sign out front dedicating it as an aviary, a place where birds would be bred and kept safe while they healed. This fact had Zilka bobbing up and down in excitement. The doors were opened and they were ushered into the building. Left and right were dozens of birds in large open cages. The interesting thing was that most of them were on the ground and ran about instead of flying. For players that hadn't seen parrots before the sheer size of the animals was kind of startling.

"Hello children," A voice cut through the air as they watched the birds. A thick New Zealand accent poured out of the mouth of a woman walking towards them. She was dressed in a lab coat and thick rimmed glasses that blew her eyes up to a massive size. Bags were present under those eyes from a lack of sleep and she had a wafting smell of two day old coffee radiating from her. Chris came to a stop next to the blurry eyed woman who gave a yawn as she approached the group.

"Welcome to New Zealand," Chris announced while loud chirping filled the air from all the massive parrots in the area.

"And more specifically our wildlife reserve," The woman yawned before stepping forward, "We are part of a program working to restore local species to their once broad ranges, one of whom is the critically endangered Kakapo."

On cue two men lugged large cages into the room and placed them on a nearby table. Inside each cage was a large green bird resting in the confined space. Everyone stared at them and Zilka's face dropped a little upon seeing the tiny space the birds had been crammed into.

"Your host has graciously volunteered you to transport these specimen to a predator free island we've picked to establish a colony on," The woman explained while approaching the animals. "Kakapo are nocturnal animals, so it is best to release them into the new environment at dusk…"

"The first team to arrive wins invincibility tonight," Chris added while striding forward. "Your task is to find your way to an island about two hours from this location and keep your bird safe while doing so."

"Under no circumstances are you to open these cages, they're specifically designed to keep feral cats, ferrets, and other mammals from getting to the birds," The lab coat clad woman finished in a stern voice that drew Zilka's eyes to her. "These are critically endangered birds and the loss of even a single specimen could set us back months, if not years. You are also to be careful about rats and other invasive species, should you manage to introduce anything onto our chosen island that isn't supposed to be there you could cost us millions."

"Is that clear?" Chris demanded with a strange air of seriousness to him. Practically everyone nodded while the woman walked to the cages and picked them up one by one. She handed them to Lloyd, Nadie, Natalie, and Zilka respectively. Lloyd scoffed and rolled his eyes as the cage was handed to him. Zilka meanwhile gazed into the cage to find an absolutely adorable bird staring back at her with twinkling black eyes.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"If a species is going extinct I say let it," Lloyd opinions with a roll of his eyes. "Weak animals are easy prey and those colourful chickens look like they'd make a better meal than expense…"

"How can they keep such a cute animal in such a tiny cage?" Zilka asks in despair while clutching her knees. "It's just cruel!"

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

"Cat Tail Island," Phoebe mused, placing a hand on her chin and gazing at the map set up before them, "Kind of an ironic name all things considered."

"Smaller islands have less prey and therefore less predators, I say we make our way around the bay, it'll take longer, but smelly here wont attract as many animals," Raina pointed out while mapping a path with her fingers.

Each team would be finding their way through the coastline and multiple paths stood before them. Helicopters could only land on certain islands, rowboats couldn't enter open stretches of water, and walking through jungle would either provide shortcuts or long detours. Raina had taken note of an isolated ranger's station deep in the maze of islands. They'd have to row themselves off the path but once there they could travel by jeep to a small outpost on the other side of the island. Sure it would take them off track but it would definitely allow them to look at maps again and put themselves back on track. By the looks of it, the other three teams were fighting over the helicopter which meant they wanted to cover as much ground as quickly as possible. Raina wanted to take the longer route seeing as it would minimalize their chances of getting lost in the final stretch.

Of course her concern was that the other teams would fail to get lost and she'd have made another poor decision to add to the pile of mistakes she'd already made. The major thing keeping her from following them and blindly jumping into the wilderness was a series of markers indicating threats. Islands filled with feral cat colonies and rat infestations. Avoiding these places at all costs was the priority and the chopper would dump them down in the middle of that territory. If the cage should fail or fall to the ground they didn't want the bird being panicked by invasive predators.

"Okay team, our first destination is a half hour row away, so let's get to it!" Raina announced before leading her team out of the aviary. The helicopter blew wind in every direction while The Creepy Calamari took the bladed vehicle for themselves. Raina and her team however made their way down to the seashore where several rowboats sat waiting at the dock.

Lloyd was carrying their precious cargo and he couldn't help but compare it to a chicken. It probably tasted good and he had to wonder why a nearly extinct bird was held in such an important light. He wasn't really a conversationalist though, so he didn't make his thoughts known, instead jumping into the boat well before many of his teammates. They all followed suit and Raina took a seat near the front while Phoebe, Olga, Bryce, and Trevor grabbed paddles. They quickly pushed off and began rowing through the water. Lloyd's choice of seating had placed Raina directly between Olga and Trevor and Warren right next to Lloyd. Trevor was taking advantage of the seating arrangement and had begun talking to Raina with excited tones lining his voice.

Warren didn't hear what he opened with thanks to their Kakapo losing its mind the second they were in the water. Quick chatter with Raina that was drowned out by Lloyd commenting that the Kakapo was a big chicken both literally and figuratively. Warren did however hear what came next.

Awful romantic prose wormed its way out of Trevor's mouth. It was the worst stuff Warren had ever heard in his life and yet Raina began giggling when it ended. The type of giggle given when a girl finds sincere interest in something. Warren's jaw just about dropped and when he tried to stand up to get close to her the Kakapo freaked out again. Lloyd immediately slapped him in the face, ordering him not to scare his chicken, so Warren sat down again and stared at Raina and Trevor, who had begun talking about the poetry enthusiastically.

"It's sincere," he heard Raina say and his lips fell a little. Guilt and annoyance began to swarm him and he balled his fist trying his best to find a way to beat out Trevor's sincerity.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Warren just stared at Raina and Bryce the entire boat ride, kept fidgeting and scaring my chicken," Lloyd recalls as he leans against the confessional wall. "Doesn't he know fear makes meat stringy?!"

* * *

 **The Pathetic Plankton**

* * *

The large nocturnal parrot stared up at Zilka from the depths of its cage. Being moved out of the aviary had definitely put it in a bad mood and its body language was anything but friendly. It would probably peck her fingers off if it got the chance and would show no remorse doing so. Despite this, Zilka had nothing but sympathy for the caged animal. It was a wild bird and should be left at peace beyond the confines of a cage that scientists thought was ideal. It was a gorgeous wild animal with bright green feathers fading in tone down its back, large healthy claws, and a beak well adapted for crushing nuts and eating berries.

It was cruel to keep it in the cage but Zilka didn't open it, mostly because their team captain was impatiently tapping her foot against the ground not too far away. Lara did not look happy and her gaze kept shifting onto Zilka, silently promising to shove her into the cage if she attempted to open it. So Zilka remained staring at it sympathetically. It reminded her too much of things she saw in her everyday life. People dragging their dogs away from places they were sniffing, locking their cats indoors, and keeping exotic birds in cages. Even the concept of farms just disgusted her, limiting the amount of space cows could roam just to fatten them up for slaughter.

People just always wanted to mess with animals, tearing down forests, savagely killing them for sport, and buying their remains at grocery stores. Blood red flesh kept behind plastic wrap, potential chickens eaten before they could even hatch, and even stolen milk from cows. She'd switched the vegan diets the moment she figured out people killed such cute animals when there were alternatives provided by nature. She still felt guilty for all those years she obliviously ate meat.

This bird was being forced to relocate to an island against its will and the latch keeping it in the cage was rather easy to figure out. She could release it at any moment and let it run free. It would go find a mate and lay lots of eggs, raise a family of adorable chicks, and be safe from experimentation. The small tag on its ankle made her sick to her stomach and deem it the source of the bird's annoyance.

"COME ON!" Lara shouted impatiently before beginning to pace. Her distraction allowed Zilka to lean in close to her new friend. The cute eyes reminded her of all the dogs, bunnies, and cats she wished she'd be able to have. Years of asking for a pet to love and care for had done nothing to persuade her parents. They were both puddles of allergies and claimed a pet would just irritate them. It hadn't stopped Zilka from gushing over every dog, desiring every cat, and staring into pet store windows hoping all the bunnies got adopted.

"I'll get you out of there," Zilka whispered to the bird with a smile spreading across her lips. It chirped at her angrily in response, likely annoyed by its confines.

* * *

When the helicopter returned Lara was at wits end, so she let her guard slip and ended up in the front of the vehicle while Yvonne and Anne ended up in the rear. No one could hear anything over the rotors of the vehicle or the increasingly panicked chirping of their precious cargo, unless they were sitting side by side, something the two girls were taking advantage of. Anne was rubbing her knee in a bout of nerves while Yvonne kept glancing at Lara to make sure her gaze wouldn't peer from behind the seat and catch them talking.

Both girls knew it was only a matter of time before Lara either found them out or cracked. They needed an out, a way to safely eliminate one of her allies. Best case scenario was getting her to eliminate Bebe and Zilka, thereby forcing a tiebreaker. The only hitch there was Diane who was a complete wildcard and often bypassed notice. She was just kind of there, not really making a move. She had voted with Lara though and that fact alone made her dangerous, she could be Lara's closest ally for all they knew, or she could be a decent swing vote. Approaching her could mean death or survival all depending on how long it was until the teams broke apart. Would Chris merge them? Would they simply dwindle in numbers until one team was completely eliminated? They were seven eliminations in so a merge at thirty players was an option, there was also the option of merging at twenty players, or even ten. It was just a mess and the girls knew their only hope of survival was to use Lara's over the top managerial skills against her. She would eliminate Zilka if she opened the bird cage, so that was their target. If they could convince her to break the rules and let the animal out they would survive the elimination regardless of their status.

"How do we do it?" Yvonne asked through a smile. Anne glanced at her before gazing forward as well, refusing to make eye contact as they took off.

"I say we-" Anne started before changing her words into a yawn as Lara looked over the seat. Anne averted her eyes while Yvonne continued to stare ahead, silently punching her forehead over Anne's rookie mistake. The surest sign that you were talking about someone was to avoid eye contact with them. She'd learned this when she was six and starting to actually get complex plots on _Lasting Days_. She was told to avoid eye contact because liars avoid eye contact. So how do you actually lie well? You make eye contact.

Thankfully Lara returned her gaze to the front, even she wasn't immune to staring out the window at the broken coastline below them. Hundreds of islands sat below them shrinking in size and closeness the further they got from the mainland. A single rowboat was rocking in the water below, likely The Sinister Sharks. Their track record made everyone in the chopper wonder if they'd made a mistake. The Sharks were still at ten players strong after seven eliminations. Each day that passed made the probability of them losing a player shrink.

"I say we just talk about how the bird is looking sad, if we convince Zilka its suffering she'll do something irrational…" Anne muttered after glancing around to make sure no one was looking. Yvonne inhaled deeply. They needed to be subtle about it, give small hints to their teammate that made the decision come across as her own rather than something they suggested. Yvonne honestly had doubts that Anne could pull of such a feat, she wasn't exactly great at hiding her true intentions. This left most of the work on Yvonne's shoulders, something she wasn't sure she could handle properly. After all, it had been a few years since she had gotten an actual role. It had been nothing but shlock for a while now, and her current project would just continue that trend. The scripts made her shudder as she recalled them, very thankful that one of her co-stars had messed his leg up and delayed shooting. This was her chance to show off her talents and prove that she was above that menial garbage, Total Drama would be her breakout role and return to the spotlight.

* * *

The chopper landed on a small island not too far from the coastline. Its descent was accompanied by a heavy amount of wind and dust being picked up. Then with a thud it landed in a small clearing surrounded by several paths crudely cut into the jungle. Small locked buildings stood about the clearing and small signal towers stood nearby sending video feeds to the aviary. The only other notable thing about the clearing was the presence of The Creepy Calamari, who had, for some unknown reason, refrained from using their time advantage.

The pilot was rather pushy and had them all out of the chopper incredibly quick. He was then back in the air sending air wafting below him filled with captured sand, dirt, and debris. Everyone shielded their eyes and grit their teeth in response. The air lifted, the helicopter took off, and the Putrid Plankton were left staring at the yellow team opposite them. Thanks to Bubba's absence they now lacked a figure of imposing height and seemed rather small. Two losses under their belts put them as the second weakest team, the one chance The Plankton seemed to have for keeping up in the game.

"Why are they still here?" Diane asked, giving Lara a rather worried glance.

"Pssh, they must have lost their way, probably planned to go north but got turned around," Lara chuckled before pausing. The realization she was having spread throughout her team as they all began glancing to a fro realizing that they also lacked a clear direction. Somewhere in the landing they'd gotten turned around. The hasty exit and quick takeoff had left them confused and lost.

Both teams eyed each other down, pretending they knew what they were doing, all the while panicking and glancing at every path present before them. Birds began chirping in the trees and insects began buzzing in the summer heat. Sunlight beamed down on the groups while a gentle breeze stirred the treetops. They held their positions for so long it actually became awkward. They bypassed the point where they could play off the idea that they knew what they were doing. They both knew the other was just as lost as they were. They just weren't going to admit that, they were instead content to follow the first motion made.

Lara began backing up for her team and Liam likewise backed up in the opposite direction. Both teams made it to the edge of the clearing, standing on opposite ends while holding eye contact for as long as possible, then at the exact same time they made individual breaks for it. The Putrid Plankton taking one path and The Creepy Calamari the opposite.

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

The blue team had rowed through the waters for some time before finally reaching shore. The broken coastline had opened up to wide waters that were difficult to tread. Amidst these waters was an island larger than the rest with looming mountains upon it and undergrowth hanging over the craggy edge of its coast. Birds flew in the air, animals darted along the beaches, and a massive clear cut path twisted its way through the heart of the jungle. A small dock waited for the teams and it had many larger boats tied to it, ones more suited for the open waters.

To say there wasn't any panic in Raina's head as they stepped off the ship would be a lie. Every small glance in her direction, every cough, and every whisper felt like it was filled with hatred. She could imagine those glances as seething glares, those coughs as covered insults, and those whispers as plans to eliminate her. She knew there was every possibility in the world that she was leading her team towards failure. It would be all on her planning if that happened. Lloyd wasn't about to release their Kakapo, the rowers had done perfectly, and everyone could see her random conversations with Trevor as a distraction.

"You put helping him with a girl above the team?" she could hear them saying if a loss came. They'd all glare at her in annoyance before Bryce would step forward with a wicked grin written on his teeth. All his insults, sexist comments, and personality flaws would be brushed aside as he revealed what had transpired in the editing room during their second day in the competition. Helden would cry, Olga would crack her knuckles, and worst of all would be the look of hurt crossing Phoebe's eyes.

That imagined look was filling Raina's brain when Warren appeared beside her and freaked her out with his sudden appearance. He was just there, no warning, no greeting, just a piece of paper clutched in his hands that had sloppy handwriting on it. The kind achieved when one wrote on their knee in a hurry. It wasn't the most bizarre thing either as seconds after he appeared a vomit of words escaped his mouth that made Raina wince. It was a jumbled mess of poetry aimed at her, a collection of misused words, poor choices of grammar, and severe lack of punctuation. It hit her face and bounced off it raining from her ears in a stream of utter confusion.

Her English teacher Mrs. Benson would probably throw Warren out a window if she heard that romantic flare. The mere idea that Warren was reading terrible romantic prose to her made her turn stone faced and stare ahead, unable to form a functional way of responding. All that permeated her mind was a question as to why Warren was doing this. Sure they were on friendly terms and maybe he had an interest in her that was more than simply platonic but he wasn't exactly one to start spouting this kind of stuff. Perhaps he was turning the charm up just to distract her.

That made her freeze and glance at Warren with worry. There was a stressed out look on his face, one that told her he felt like he had to do this. Sweat began to bead down her face. Her hands felt numb and she was starting to breathe heavily. Warren looked panicky, like if he didn't do this something would go wrong. It explained the hastily written nature of the poem to her. He was trying to keep her mind off something and there was only one explanation to it. One of her teammates or maybe more had found out their secret and he didn't want to worry her. A sweet gesture, but a worrisome one nonetheless. She forced a pained smile onto her face and the look Warren gave her in response told her all she needed to know. He had a look of horror and failure in his eyes. He flushed bright pink and slunk back shyly, leaving Raina to walk towards the ranger station before them with the colour draining from her face by the second.

Her eyes drifted right seeing Olga and Roxie following her. Those eyes then darted left to where Bryce and Phoebe walked, and even ahead to where Trevor was carving out a path looking at the underbrush. Raina drew in a shaky breath while energy left her body and she felt somewhat faint. She swallowed and approached the door of the station with her heartbeat in her ears. A hand raised to knock and she drew a shaky breath inwards. What had started as a romantic gesture from Warren had quickly made every fear she had come to life.

* * *

The jungle was dense and filled with monster sized bugs, it wasn't incredibly hot like the Philippines had been but the summer heat was definitely at a peak. Insects swarmed to and fro landing on bunches of brightly coloured flowers poking out of the bush. It was these flowers that caught Trevor's eye. While Raina and the team brainiacs stared at the map the ranger had dragged out of her station, he walked at the edge of the clearing looking for the perfect flower.

Did Wilma like flowers? He wasn't exactly sure, they'd just met after all and she didn't exactly fit the bill of a standard girlfriend. Trevor had met boys with girlfriends since he was first in scouts. The chip toothed small fries who thought they were all that and a bag of chips because they knew swear words, watched R rated movies, and claimed they had girlfriends. They'd been swiftly replaced by classmates who entered their edgy phase or excelled in sports and dated someone in name only. These guys were replaced by the other cadets who had legitimate girlfriends and would occasionally talk about more intimate details.

Year after year of exposing to these guys had led Trevor to devise a certain plan of action for his future relationships. Step one was enter a test relationship that would inevitably fall apart. He'd concluded that with Lynette Pierce eight months ago exactly. He'd made his rookie mistakes in the relationship and learned the signs of when a girl was cheating on him. Now the plan of action could take place. He'd met a girl and with the Meet Cute out of the way he was prepared to move on with the phases.

He'd start by winning her over with small gifts of affection, poetry, flowers, and compliments. This would inevitably lead to Wilma accepting a proposition for a kiss at four weeks exactly, after that they'd meet for regular dates every Friday, then after two months begin spending an evening indoors away from the expenses, then after roughly a year of this plan they'd travel together for the first time, hopefully out of country. Then he would proceed with officer training, find out where exactly she wished to set up shop and move there, propose precisely one year out of school, be married precisely one year and two months after that, and spend three years in marital bliss before having children.

That was just the footnotes version. Trevor had imagined this type of ordeal hundreds of times making perfect edits to the schedule. When they would move in together, a baby name list, and perfect dates and locations for important events. Everything fit in a rigorous schedule and followed the rules of dating to a T. All the advice other guys had given him over the years was collected and perfected into an ideal arrangement that Wilma would fit well into. For now however, his lady deserved the best of flowers to win her heart. There were to be no limp petals or flaws in the colouration. Wildflowers proved to be a difficult series of targets for these. Insects had infested many of them and more had a rather natural colour that lacked the bold tones needed for love.

Trevor had already plucked a single delicate flower that matched Wilma's eyes. A blue as deep as the sea and twice as lovely. Lynette had complained about his structured approach to love, she was definitely right, he couldn't step out of his plan again. He had to stick to it and refuse to bend. If he wanted their first kiss to take place on schedule he needed to hurry and pick the best flowers available.

Unfortunately, a rustling appeared next to him and his eyes drifted to his right where Warren had appeared. The boy stretched a hand forth and with a single pluck picked a flower off the bushes that radiated a mild pink. The colour was terrible and Trevor grit his teeth and let out a growl in response. Wilma deserved the best, not some unprepared layabout like Warren. He'd picked a terrible flower that was absolutely laughable but within seconds he had seven more. Trevor gasped and began scouring through the flowers harder, picking the nice ones before Warren accidentally got lucky.

They quickly amassed a collection of colourful buds before their hands parted a bush and revealed it. Bathed in a beam of sunlight sat the perfect flower. The petals dropped in a shape that brought a tear to Trevor's eye. It was the perfect colour of blue, making every flower he had picked pale in comparison. Warren apparently felt the same way because they both dropped the ones they'd picked and lunged at it. Trevor slapped Warren's hand away but Warren threw himself over the hedge and plucked the flower off the branch. Trevor responded by punching him in the face and snatching it from his hands. He then made a break for the ranger station while Warren gave chase.

"GIVE IT BACK!" Warren shouted right before lunging at Trevor's feet and taking him off balance. Trevor hit the ground managing to save the flower just before Warren grabbed it. He didn't let the glasses wearing boy get far though. He tackled him before he could stand up and they rolled around kicking at one another until Trevor rose to his feet with the flower in hand. At that exact moment the door opened and their team came spilling out. Both boys stood up and Warren brushed himself off. Trevor began whistling as the team walked past and the second they were out of the way he tripped Warren and rushed towards the jeep they'd be taking. His foe shook his fist in response but Trevor didn't care. He'd win Wilma over and there was nothing Warren could do to best him.

* * *

 **The Pathetic Plankton**

* * *

The path the team had selected during their lost embarrassment couldn't have been more wrong. The southern shore of the island lapped before them and Lara was in a complete rage over the decision they'd made. She paced back and forth kicking sand and shouting at the heavens like it might make a difference. Regardless of how much she swore it was her own fault and the entire team just looked on.

So it was the perfect time for Anne and Yvonne to move in close to Zilka. Should the Kakapo escape they'd immediately forfeit the challenge and if Lara held true to her word they'd send Zilka home and they'd be one step closer to survival. They'd only need a single vote and Lara would get the proper kick in the pants she needed. It was a pretty outlandish hope but a hope nonetheless.

"That bird looks so sad," Yvonne mused while approaching Zilka from the left.

"I know," Zilka sighed while glancing at the large parrot seated deep within the cage.

"And this detour will definitely increase his time in that cage," Anne agreed as she approached from the right.

"Every second gnawing away at his health," Yvonne continued.

"Making him… sick and stuff…" Anne added.

"That metal seems so cold, maybe we can give him some soft leaves or something…" Yvonne muttered while gazing into the cage. She was playing up a sense of concern, trying her best to make it sound like her musings were directed at their precious cargo. Anne however, was aiming everything she said at Zilka. It seemed to be working, but it made Yvonne want to gnaw on her nails. There was no way anyone would believe Anne was doing anything but coercing their teammate into opening the bird cage and throwing herself under the bus.

But as things happen in a game like Total Drama, one doesn't have a choice over their allies. Anne was easily distracted, liked some pretty gross things, and was generally rather boyish in her demeanour. She was the kind of person who would become interested in the cockroaches in the bottom level of the cruise ship and try feeding them things. Yvonne meanwhile lifted her legs whenever she saw them and avoided the strange stains littered throughout the passenger quarters. In any other situation they wouldn't get along. Anne was far too blunt for Yvonne's tastes and was as subtle as a dump truck. Thankfully, Zilka seemed too concerned over the fat bird they were transporting to notice the blatant manipulation before her.

Zilka put the cage down and scurried over to the end of the beach looking over several plants to find the softest leaves. She paused after a small check and hurried back towards them with several leaves in hand. During this time Yvonne gazed at Anne with her lips pursed. Perhaps Anne was bothering her more than normal considering what she'd signed up for. The stance, the way she held herself, and the pure excitement she gained when they encountered something genuinely gross and creepy. It made her shudder thinking about all the scripts she'd been handed for her current project. It was like she had to play Anne, or rather parts of Anne. A girl who was very much the opposite of dignified, leaning on things, picking at her ears, and capable of describing alien monsters as cute.

"This is totally going to work," Anne chuckled while Yvonne continued to stare at her. She couldn't help but picture the costume in her mind. A brief upwards look at Anne. The girl's body clad in a jumpsuit with pink highlights. The gloves were off and the shirt wasn't tucked properly, then there was the hair. Chopped down in length to a boyish shape. Under it of course was her own face grinning at her like the director had ordered at least a dozen times. The breakout character from _Lasting Days_ wearing her uniform like a laze and holding herself in an exceptionally relaxed way. The attitude, the lines, and the characterization were all career killers. Her own reflection in perfect acting poise ran a hand through her short hair and looked at Yvonne with a grin.

"You and me are going right to the end," Evelynn Rose smiled with Yvonne's face.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Lara shouted snapping Yvonne out of whatever she'd been seeing. She took a step away from Zilka now glancing at Anne again, her own visage was gone and the long mahogany locks were back. She gave a deep exhale in response and touched her hair with a brief pass. Long and soft, just the way she liked it.

Lara stomped over the beach and began chewing Zilka out, Yvonne could hardly pay attention though, she just shifted her foot on the sand kicking it back and forth while staring into the distance. She didn't want to work with Anne and yet she had to, if she didn't that horrible, horrible character would become her reality. Final merge, if she made it to the final merge she'd be on enough show business radars to get a different contract. So Anne it was, Anne would have to work.

Yvonne felt a little whimper cross her lips as she glanced at Anne again. The girl had taken to touching as many plants as she could along the shoreline. A curiosity boiling beneath the surface and disregard for filth. No fear of getting dirty, not even a revulsion. She had to look away, in complete fear of seeing herself in Anne's place again.

* * *

 **The Whimsical Whales**

* * *

With the challenge well under way, each team was finding their path to the small island that marked their destination. The Whimsical Whales had been the last lifted in and were in the process of finding their bearings. The mere thought that they could come behind other teams because of the helicopter ride was rather infuriating, though some players could hardly be brought into caring.

Elsa was in the process of complaining about how far behind they were when Natalie rolled her eyes. The entire team around her was in a tizzy, stressing out and acting like it was the end of the world. She stood in the center of the group, glancing back and forth wishing she was anywhere else. It was so dumb, everyone around her was dumb, and the stupid challenge was especially dumb. She wanted to gaze at the drama occurring in the other teams, not spending her time as a glorified delivery girl carrying a smelly bird. Why couldn't it have been a challenge where they were all in the same room?

The most drama occurring on the team was in Gabriel's pose and stance, it was the wrong kind of drama but still the best she had. Where were all the Lara's? Where were the arguments she'd seen break out on the Sharks? And where were all those sideways glances Louise kept giving Liam?

No, she couldn't get an interesting team, her team was just composed of random people she kept forgetting were even on her side. Brad stood not far away picking his nose while Deek calmly stared at the sky with half closed eyes. Why couldn't they be arguing or something? She couldn't listen to them intently and get wrapped up in the excitement of drama. The closest they'd come was with Elsa's impending elimination, but her team was so boring that they'd forgiven her and forgotten all about it.

Even the decision making process was boring. Everyone was just taking turns adding information, no arguing over the direction occurred, no fights erupted, and even Jason was reeling his ego back. The only drama for miles was Gabriel pouting, but whining wasn't exactly drama. There was no anticipation to be found and it was pissing her off.

When she'd signed up for Total Drama she'd expected a backstabbing every evening, infighting on the team, and complete mental breakdowns. Unfortunately, she'd been strapped to the most boring team in Total Drama history. Sure people had problems but no one was fighting and it was really irritating her. So she was on the lookout for possible places to start building drama.

Eight other players and there were only two she actually liked, if anyone were to tell Erin or Stephen that she thought they were kind of cool she'd stuff their own heart down their throat. The other six were fair game though, and each of them presented cracks she could manipulate. The problem was finding someone incompatible with said cracks. Sure Gabriel was a rich prick, but finding someone besides herself that was annoyed by that was kind of hard.

Her team eventually picked a path and she followed behind them in a rather miserable fashion. Birds chirped in the trees, rodents scurried in the shadows, and no other human beings appeared. The other teams were long gone and without drama they'd be facing another blame game elimination where someone would be blamed for causing their loss and blah blah blah. After watching all the other teams she had all this information held in her head that she could use to mess with them, heck she could make stuff up too. She could say Renee was using Roxie's toothbrush. From what she could gather Roxie was a complete neat freak and germophobe, easily set off by minute messes.

But like with every thought, Natalie was just reminded of the boring team she was on and slumped after everyone keeping her eyes peeled for human footprints, there weren't any of course meaning they probably went the wrong way. Maybe then her team would start arguing like they'd done in The Philippines. At least she would be entertained then, that thought at least kept her going.

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

Predators could be seen with watching intensity from the bushes as the Sinister Sharks moved from island to island. At first signs of cat colonies and rats were everywhere, birds were scarce and the native flora had definitely gotten out of control. Conversely the series of sand bars and fractured bluffs of rock they were landing on now were rather balanced. Untouched wilderness that was beautiful to look at and dotted with strange plants and even stranger bird calls.

The air was fresh and salty, mixed with the scent of wildflowers and fruits just past their prime. It was calming in more ways than one and that calmness made most of the team relax and slow down a little to enjoy the scenery. It was crazy what a single invasive predator could do to an ecosystem, they were seeing the parts of the world spared from the wrath of colonization and for people like Renee it set off the imagination.

Unfortunately for her, Warren was clinging to her shoulders and using her as cover. His eyes stared right at Raina and Trevor, who were leading the pack. Renee could easily overhear the conversation before her, not that she needed to. The nails digging into her skin were enough to tell her the reason, Trevor was complimenting Raina. It was sweet, nice words coming out of his mouth with sincerity and a sense of joy that told her he was going to be repeating similar things later. Warren was hating it though, he wasn't seeing the sweetness of the conversation, instead choosing to stare at a single gorgeous flower clutched in Trevor's hand and reading his lips while a snarl spread across his face.

"You know… You could just let it go," Renee sighed as her arms began to numb from the tightness of Warren's grip.

"Why would I let it go?" Warren asked through his teeth while continuing to watch Raina. She began laughing and told Trevor one of his compliments was really good. She was clearly having a good time and enjoying herself, how Warren couldn't see that was a complete mystery. Maybe it was because he couldn't see himself but every time she saw him hanging around their captain there was an air of fear between the two. Raina seemed on edge when in his presence and they discussed mystery topics in hushed tones. At that moment she could only see a happiness in Raina's eyes, a complete departure from her time spent with Warren.

In her books that meant only one thing, sure Warren liked her and maybe she liked him, but there was no joy to be found there, no smiles, no laughter, and definitely no romance. They acted like they were strategizing, Trevor and Raina on the other hand looked to be about ten seconds away from holding hands. Maybe Warren was putting his own attraction to Raina over her happiness, that road led to a dissatisfied couple and Renee definitely didn't want to see that.

"Dude, it seems the only reason you're taking any action in winning her over is because of Trevor," Renee mused with a glance back at Warren. "Ever thought that maybe you burnt that bridge when you decided to watch a twelve hour cop show marathon?"

"What?! No way! Trevor is stepping on my romance," Warren exclaimed while shooting a glare ahead to Raina.

"And maybe you're stepping on his," Renee muttered under her breath before shaking Warren's hands off her shoulders. Warren fell silent and continued to stare ahead at Raina and Trevor. Trevor spat out another compliment that made Warren grit his teeth in response. Renee sighed when she saw this and trekked a bit further ahead to get away from Warren. She slowed down when she reached the point between Warren and Raina. Once again Raina was smiling and laughing, complimenting Trevor on his compliments. It was completely different from the cramped corners she slid into with Warren. When those two were together it always felt like something was wrong, but seeing Raina chat with Trevor somehow felt right to her. There was a real joy there, as if Raina had something else on her mind than leadership.

* * *

 **The Pathetic Plankton**

* * *

The Plankton hadn't stopped running since they'd taken back to the trail. They'd scurried over the land, rushed down to a dock, and begun rowing over the open stretch of water. They followed the curve of several tiny islands and tried their best to avoid sandbars that would disappear by nightfall. In all honesty it wasn't a long trip to their destination, just a swift trail with few moments they could make mistakes on. It was clearly meant to be the kind of challenge where the crew would thrust them into the woods and simply film what happened. These types of challenges were definitely more profitable with more players to keep track of. The more players that interacted the more drama that could be filmed.

Of course, the quick pace was stressing out their cargo. Their bird chirped, flapped about, and complained nonstop from the confines of its cage. It would thrust its weight left and right causing Zilka to stumble more than once. She hated keeping the Kakapo confined. Whenever they made landfall and had to walk over an island she would take to staring at the woods imagining the beautiful bird running free in the underbrush, encountering more of its kind, laying hundreds of eggs, and raising those babies in a happy family.

Of course, she was completely ignorant to exactly how rare the bird was and how bad releasing it on that island would be. Its pungent aroma caused invasive predators that had driven the bird to near extinction to peer from the bushes. Feral cats, rats, and weasels that would have a field day with a large flightless parrot. In all honesty, as much as Zilka loved animals she knew very little about them. If she saw wild cats roaming the island she would simply think they belonged there and that they were a natural part of the ecosystem. She wouldn't be able to fathom the damage they'd done to local species.

She had noble intentions but lacked knowledge of the complexities of creatures. Releasing pet birds into the wild of northern Canada would be a death sentence no matter how natural she thought it would be. Cats didn't belong outside because they could kill birds and rodents for sports. Zilka's love for animals had unfortunately been corrupted by animal wrongs groups and misinformation. She had a number of outlandish belief when it came to animals and that was really eating at her conscious. She wanted to release their Kakapo despite a literal expert telling her not to. Her emotions were eating up her conscious and the angrier the bird got the guiltier she felt. It wanted out of its cage but wasn't capable of knowing the dangers that awaited it.

Her fingers touched the latch more than once, seconds away from releasing the thing into the world. Her fear of Lara's retaliation was shrinking by the minute and soon enough she got the lath half open before shutting it again. Her mouth shrunk to a tiny line and she stared at the cage angrily. They were close to its destination but somehow the fact a bunch of lab coat wearing nerds came second to her own emotions. She didn't want to release into some monitored environment where its privacy was exploited, she wanted it to roam free. She'd promised it that freedom and she was going to make good on that promise. All she had to do was get Lara distracted, then she could release it and pretend the cage had broken. No blame would be put on her and she could release that bird.

But the only question was how she could possibly distract Lara. What on earth could shift her leader's focus off her long enough to do the right thing and liberate the parrot in her arms?

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

Cat Tail Island was an absolutely gorgeous part of paradise, a large island with sharp cliffs and dense untouched forest. One solitary piece of evidence gave away that humans had set foot on it and that was a small research station several kilometers into the forest. In other words, the finish line. It was bizarre to see the birds they were transporting present, or at least evidence of them. Feathers lay discarded on the beaches, footprints dotted the forest floor, and evidence that something had been keeping the native flora at bay gave away the animals.

In all honesty it hadn't been hard at all to find. Most of the journey had been rather uneventful for most of the team, the only notable exception was Warren who was continuing to glare at Trevor. This continued as they got off their boat and began the slow uphill trek towards the station. He had his fists balled and a glare sat heavily on his brow. He was thinking about what Renee said.

Sure he sat around a lot, but he'd bonded with Raina first, they'd sat in the mud in Alaska, he'd helped her gain the top spot on the team, and even more important was the fact they were stuck together, constantly preparing to eliminate Bryce and remove any knowledge of their conspiring from the team's consciousness. He just needed to get Raina alone, manage to separate her from Trevor. But the only way to do that was to force them into a loss, pretty hard to do when they were in the lead.

Warren let out a sigh as he realized this and gazed backwards at the ocean. His teammates walked on ahead while he stared at the lapping waves. If they were to lose then Raina would question her leadership, it would provide a beautiful opportunity to build her up again, then she would be back in his arms instead of Trevor's. He wished another team would show up, and much to his shock one did.

The rest of the team was too high up to see it but the trees were lined up just perfectly for Warren to see a second boat pull onto the final shore, another team was upon them, there was a chance they'd be booted out of first class and his desire to be alone with Raina would become a reality. He was faced with a choice, either tell the rest of the team that someone was close and hurry them, or wait for the other team to arrive. Maybe he would have spoken up but Raina's laugh pierced the air and he turned his head slowly, gazing up the hill to where Raina was walking side by side with Trevor.

The colour of her eyes, the way her dark hair collected at the base of her skull, falling down to her shoulders in a short tail ruffled at the ends, and the glasses perched on her face giving her a very scholarly look. Her body was at a gentle point between the extremities that bodies fell into. She didn't have bounds of unsightly fat pushing her clothing to limit nor rippling muscles that carved up the skin with deep crevices and valleys. She always dressed somewhat professionally and when she smiled that grin was filled with genuine joy. He'd fallen for her, she may not have been the girl he dreamed about for years but she had somehow checked every box on his attractive list. That attraction was only growing the more he got to know her, and there she was laughing with Trevor.

Warren balled his fists so tightly he thought he might draw blood, his face was contorted into a snarl, and his head shifted down. He had every opportunity to shout out that they were being followed but if he did that Trevor would just walk away with Raina. So Warren continued walking up the hill, never once mentioning that they were being followed. He didn't even look back, that's how little he cared. Whether they were in first, second, or third he wanted them to come behind that team and hoped that his teammates were oblivious enough to let them gain.

The other team didn't take long to catch up, they could see a team ahead of them meanwhile The Sharks were simply gazing forward never thinking to look behind. It was only when the sound of footsteps couldn't be ignored any longer that people on the blue team turned. Panic spread through the group and several members broke out running as The Creepy Calamari crept up on them and sprung forward. Their members meshed with those of The Sinister Sharks and suddenly a footrace was ongoing. Feet clomped on the ground, puddles were stepped in, and branches were whisked aside as the two teams rushed forward. Warren however, remained slow. He wasn't fit in the first place so what was his team even expecting.

Footfalls reigned up the hill and both teams emerged on the top in a large cluster, meeting several people as they went. Warren hiked up the hill after the group and stepped into the clearing last. He stopped at the mat and could see the look of dread and horror on Raina's face. The sight of that expression filled him with glee and he was about to smile when panting erupted behind him. He turned to see Stewart walk up the hill after him. Wind coursed through the air as Warren gazed around. No other teams were present. If Stewart came up last that meant they'd won.

The look of horror on Raina's face changed into a look of pure joy while Warren's own smile fell. His eyes turned towards Trevor who still had that gorgeous flower clutched in his hand. He hadn't even given it to Raina and that realization sent a wave of rage spiralling through Warren. He dashed forward as fast as he could and made a grab for it. Trevor moved it at the last second and Warren's hand accidentally grasped the flower and crushed them in his fist. A single petal escaped his grip and fluttered to the ground, landing softly upon it.

The look on Trevor's face was one of pure rage. He clenched his free hand and wound it back before delivering a punch right to Warren's face. Warren fell to the ground and was immediately jumped by his foe. Trevor landed heavily upon him and the two rolled in the grass in a ball of spit and fury. Trevor eventually pinned Warren and slammed his arm into his chest.

"You're pathetic!" Trevor hissed as the camera crews rushed forward to catch the drama, "Do you really think an amazing girl like her would want to go out with a little leech like you?!"

"But I helped her become captain," Warren growled back through grit teeth.

"Well woop de friggin doo," Trevor retorted with eyes filled with anger "Is that all you think it takes huh?! Helping her get something?! Because that's pathetic! You're more concerned with your own happiness than hers!"

"HEY CUT IT OUT!" Raina ordered while shoving several Calamari players out of the way to stand before the two guys. Trevor blew out a breath through his nose and rose to his feet in a huff. He marched away and Raina glanced at Warren before her face fell into a frown and she turned to follow Trevor with concern written in her eyes. A few seconds of murmuring followed before everyone decided to depart leaving only Renee standing where the crowd was.

"Are you going to chase after her?" She asked while taking a seat next to Warren. Her fingers ran through the grass and began plucking blades out of it. She began sprinkling them on Warren while the couch potato let out a long sigh.

"I nearly let us lose just to talk to her," Warren sighed as realization washed over his body and embarrassment flooded his skin. "She was so unhappy when we lost, a look of pure fright and horror came over her face but I… I smiled… I was miserable when she was happy and happy when she was miserable…"

"She does laugh a lot with Trevor," Renee admitted halting in her grass plucking and gazing at Warren. "Are you really going to let her go?"

Warren cast his gaze to the crowd where Raina was in the process of talking intently with Trevor. She'd willingly spent challenge time with him despite the fact they didn't share an alliance. All he ever chatted to her about was Bryce, but once Bryce was gone…

"Yeah," Warren sighed while a wave of misery spread over his body. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and let out a long sigh before opening them to stare at the sky. There was an empty feeling in his gut, one he didn't realize he'd lived with all his life until he'd met Raina. That attraction to her was still real and he lay there letting it wash away, vanishing into the abyss until he was left with a sunken heart. Once he was still Renee lay down next to him and shifted into a comfortable position next to him. He glanced over at the redhead with bright blue eyes and watched as she scratched her nose.

"You know, you're pretty ni-" Warren started before Renee burst out laughing.

"I like girls," Renee interrupted with a coy smile crossing her face that told him she knew exactly what he was about to say.

"Oh," Warren finished before they both turned their gaze back to the clouds and let the sound of the breeze and calls of birds overtake their conversation.

* * *

 **The Pathetic Plankton**

* * *

They were close, that much was certain to Lara, she stalked through the underbrush, clearly able to see their destination far ahead of them. It was pure uphill walking to the finish and unfortunately a lot of her team was weak. Diane panted, Zilka kept fiddling with the latch on the bird cage, and Anne was practically falling over. She was enraged by their slowness because for the first time that challenge they knew they were ahead of someone. The Whales were behind them and struggling just as much with the upwards climb to the finish.

"We have a chance to win this, the person who reaches the top last is out!" Lara shouted in an attempt to light a fire under her teammates. Tall grasses brushed against their legs and strange bird calls sounded in the sky as the team approached the top panting and out of breath. They were so slow that the pathetic team behind them was actually gaining on them. Lara wanted to scream in rage. She hauled Bebe to her feet, kicked Yvonne's rear to get her moving, and shoved Zilka forward while a sinister reminder exited her lips.

"Let that thing out and I'll destroy you," Lara hissed, making Zilka pale and hold the container close to her body. The bird was absolutely silent so she assumed it had also decided to listen. She shoved Zilka aside and glanced behind her seeing the Red team continuing to gain. She could easily sprint up the hill with that bird cage in hand but Chris would probably dock them points if she did that.

It was bitter work but shove by shove she slowly drove her teammates upwards. The steepness grew worse and worse with every step until finally members began to emerge upwards. Lara hauled her teammates up the hill until lastly Zilka emerged on top and joined her panting. If they had been any further behind Lara would have picked the girl for elimination, but for once they'd been ahead, for once they'd beaten The Whimsical Whales.

The losing team hauled themselves up the hill groaning as they went and Lara felt a wicked smile cross her face while every other team watched. She glared at her foes, having bested them and come out on top. The sense of pride she felt and the sheer amount of excitement boiling under her skin was unable to be contained. Laughter escaped her lips and the members of The Whimsical Whales looked up at her with glares in their eyes.

"Hah! Perhaps we won't be the losing team much longer," Lara chuckled causing the Whales to begin murmuring and glaring at her.

"Whatever Lara, at least we don't hate one another," Natalie growled while Lara laughed in response.

"What's the supposed to mean?" Lara demanded with a deathly sinister tone overcoming her.

"Oh just that the people you trust the most are actually your enemies," Natalie chuckled while putting on a powerful grin and shifting her eyes over to Anne and Yvonne. Lara followed her gaze and came to a halt right at the two girls.

"Yeah right," Yvonne laughed while returning her gaze to Natalie and drawing Lara's with it. "Even if I did vote for Lara how would you even know that?!"

"OH Anne? She's so thorough it's scary," Natalie replied in a rather mocking tone "We can't even trust our teammates, they might rat us out…"

The look on Yvonne's face sold it as true. Words that had come out of her own mouth in private rang through her head, bouncing off the walls and breaking her acting. Lara froze and stared at her with an agape mouth, eying up Anne in the process. It was around this time that Chris finally emerged and marched across the field to Zilka with the woman in the lab coat trotting behind him. He looked pissed off and snatched the cage away from the girl without a single word. The two of them stared into the interior finding it empty, the bird they'd been tasked to transport was gone.

"Do you have ANY idea what you've done," The woman hissed.

"I liberated him!" Zilka shouted back before being grasped by the scruff of her shirt and dragged towards the woman.

"These islands are infested with invasive predators who drove that species to near extinction. Now tell me, how exactly is releasing a critically endangered animal into an area infested with predators liberation?!" The woman demanded.

"I-" Zilka started before Chris interrupted.

"Well your team loses now," Chris announced causing the Whimsical Whales to breathe a sigh of relief.

"She released the bird," Yvonne stated while pointing at Zilka.

"And she was last up here," Anne added.

"I don't care," Lara hissed while looming over her teammates and grinning from ear to ear. There was a near madness in her eyes that told them any rational thought had been thrown out the window. Lara turned around, approaching Zilka, Bebe, and Diane without a word. She didn't need to say anything, it was clear who was on the chopping block at that exact moment.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

Zilka opens her mouth to say something but closes it and whimpers instead.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Lara hisses, seemingly forgetting her promised punishments. There's something in her eyes, a vengeful look filled with malice and hate. Logic seems to be the last thing on her mind.

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

Warren collapsed on the couch with a groan the second they got back to first class. He immediately splayed out and stared at the blank screen with a frown on his face. He didn't have the willpower to pick up the remote so he instead settled for the things in reach, specifically the container of ice cream he'd brought with him. He didn't even bother scooping any out, he was going to eat it all in his misery and proceed to feel miserable from the sheer amount of dairy later. It was mint chocolate chip, a flavour Warren despised but it was the fullest of all the containers and would last the longest. He picked up the spoon he'd brought, drove it into the ice cream and shoved the biggest spoonful he could into his awaiting mouth.

As expected it was gross but he just groaned and swallowed it before hanging limply on the couch staring at the blank television. He'd lost his chance with an amazing girl and thought making her miserable would win her back. He deserved to be left to dry. He deserved no one if he was going to be that jealous and he was willing to eat a tub of his least favorite ice cream to punish himself and drown his sorrows.

"I'm pathetic," Warren mumbled.

"Yeah you are," a humour filled voice replied right before Warren lifted his head to see Raina looking at him from the other side of the couch. He blinked upon seeing her and she gave a small laugh in response. "I mean you're using a spoon, real men use their hands."

"Raina?" Warren asked curiously right before Raina jumped over the back of the couch and landed next to him snatching the container away from him as she went.

"Didn't really peg you as a mint chocolate chip guy," Raina shrugged before following her own instructions and using her fingers to draw ice cream out, a movement that would have made Roxie go up in arms if she were present. In another Roxie angering move Raina proceeded to talk with her mouth full. "Trevor spent all afternoon freaking out about how his flower for Wilma wasn't perfect and blah blah blah! I mean no girl cares about the flowers, unless of course they're a florist, but that's beside the point."

"Trevor was giving that flower to… Wilma…" Warren muttered while staring at the wall with his eyes nearly crossed.

"Yeah who'd you think it was for?" Raina asked with a chuckle before pausing with a mouth full of ice cream as if the answer to her own question arrived at that exact moment. "Oooh… You thought…"

"I really like you okay…" Warren trailed, flinching to the side as if he feared being hit. "But I'm not making you happy…"

"Oh please, if you weren't around I would have cracked ages ago, or been eliminated, hard to judge how the game would have gone if Bryce were in charge," Raina chuckled before handing the tub of ice cream back to Warren. "Just don't go telling anyone about our secret."

"Right!" Warren exclaimed as Raina stood up and exited the room. He gave a slow exhale and sat there in content for a few moments thinking back to his fight with Trevor.

" _You're pathetic!" Trevor hissed as the camera crews rushed forward to catch the drama. "Do you really think an amazing girl like her would want to go out with a little leech like you?!"_

" _But I helped her become captain," Warren shouted back through grit teeth._

" _Well woop de friggin doo," Trevor retorted with eyes filled with anger. "Is that all you think it takes huh?! Helping her get something?! Because that's pathetic! You're more concerned with your own happiness than hers!"_

"Uh-oh," Warren muttered as the realization hit him just as Trevor himself walked out the door humming to himself. Warren stared at his reflection in the television screen and swallowed nervously upon seeing it. She'd requested one thing, and what had he done?

* * *

 **The Pathetic Plankton**

* * *

The sunset on the ship was rather nasty that evening. A storm was rolling in and the clouds were covering the horizon and causing darkness to fall well before it should have. Course and cold winds gusted at the players so frigid that they were chilled to the bone. The six girls on The Pathetic Plankton were rather disgruntled. For one, their team would be effectively halved that evening. There was no way they'd ever catch up. The vast majority of eliminations had been from their ranks and they were about to lose some valuable skills. How long would it be before Bebe was doing the running and Zilka had to eat meat?

The only one in a good mood was Lara. She hummed to herself as she descended to the lower deck with the three players not on the chopping block following her. That left Anne and Yvonne to walk behind their teammates with their heads down. Yvonne had a scowl printed on her face, one that told Anne she was feeling defeat at its strongest.

"Hey, don't fret, we have a chance to win here," Anne stated while giving Yvonne a confident smile. "Lara was pushing us all around today!"

"And is that any different from any other day?" Yvonne demanded as they passed the interns. She let out a sigh and shook her head. "I needed to succeed in this show but of course I got put on the worst team! This always happens, I can never get lucky, I just get cast in the worst roles for the worst things!"

"Maybe you're being too negative, maybe things will turn out all right if we try," Anne stated only for Yvonne to sigh and look forward at their teammates already seating themselves. She felt Anne's hand on her shoulder and turned her head nearly freezing up in fright.

"Just try okay," Her own voice suggested. Short brown hair, a ridiculous pink and white jumpsuit, and that lax posing that was utterly aloof. The kind of posing that took months to perfect and master, something she'd have to dedicate her all into even though it was for a career killing role. She blinked and Anne was back, smiling at her confidently, willing to put everything into something that would likely be a failure and leave a giant smear on her name. It sent a shudder down Yvonne's spine, but both girls entered the elimination area and sat down before Chris.

The host loomed over the pool while chilling air blew past him and that storm got closer. Yvonne swallowed nervously upon seeing only five reflective mints on his tray. Just over a week earlier there had been nine on that plate and she'd felt safe, but now they were down to five and the promise of even less in the future.

"You guys truly are pathetic, you actually wouldn't be here right now if you could restrain your play-" Chris started before Lara's voice cut through the air.

"Show of hands, who wants Yvonne gone?" Lara demanded. There was a short pause before she and Bebe raised their hands. She then looked over at Yvonne and Anne with a grin, "And who wants Anne gone?"

Diane and Zilka held up their hands while Lara grinned from ear to ear and glared at her competition. She rose to her feet with that wicked smile on her face and cast her gaze between her two teammates while Chris watched the events unfolding before him with mild interest.

"So ladies, you either vote for one another, or vote for me and force a tie breaker," Lara smirked as she rose to her feet. Of all the Plankton Players she was the one who had consistently performed the best. She knew she would win, the real reason behind her challenge was simple, the weakest link would be cut. She'd be eliminating a foe and benefitting the team at the same time. Even if they picked Bebe or Zilka they'd still be assisting her and get ganged up on during the next elimination by the three remaining players. Yvonne felt her body spike with fear as she stared up at Lara looming over her, confident, brash, and driven. She'd just been handed a bad lot, better to back out now and wait for a better one to come around than risk falling into obscurity. It was like acting, even if you were desperate you still had to pick and choose your roles, a single bad call could ruin a career.

"You're on, I vote Lara!" Anne shouted while rising to her feet. "Come on Yvonne!"

Yvonne breathed heavily and shifted her gaze between Lara and Anne, there was every chance that she could go home herself, eliminated by her lack of skill just because Chris picked a bad tie breaker. She clamped her eyes closed and felt air build up in her lungs right before a shout exited her lips…

…

…

…

…

…

…

… Anne!" Yvonne exclaimed, causing silence to fill the elimination deck. Yvonne clenched her fists tightly as she stared up at Anne, once again trapped in the visage of Evelynn Rose played by Yvonne Erits. A losing role that would kill her career. She lowered her head shamefully and bit her lip following it. "I vote Anne…"

"Well, that was simple," Chris shrugged before tossing the mints at the crowd of teenagers. All five of them hit Bebe in the face while Chris approached the lifeboat of losers. Anne however, was frozen in place, a look of shock stuck to her maw. Her face began twitching and distorting into a saddened look while tears began welling up in her eyes. Her fists clenched tightly and her entire body shook. Yvonne couldn't bring herself to look at her teammate, she instead stared at the ground, nothing but smooth tiling she'd sat on four times prior.

A deep exhale escaped Anne's lips and she let her shoulders fall and her head hang. Yvonne stole a look upwards and at that exact moment made eye contact with her former ally. There wasn't anger in those eyes, just sadness. She shuddered once before turning away and walking towards the lifeboat of losers. Just before entering it she stopped and the wind gust past her catching her mahogany locks in it.

"You know, if you'd tried we would've had a chance," She muttered causing Yvonne's heart to catch in her throat. She gazed over at Anne who was once again looking back rather tearfully. "Just promise to try on the next one… For my sake…"

With that she stepped into the lifeboat and slumped onto a seat. The cold wind gust past them again and Chris hit the release. Anne then plunged down into the darkness with a distant splash leaving Yvonne to stare after her emotionlessly.

"You're next," Lara's voice cut through the air making Yvonne turn to face her team captain. Lara's eyes then narrowed to their maximum and a snarl spread across her face. "Remember that."

With that Lara stalked off with Bebe, Zilka, and Diane in tow, each one giving Yvonne a progressively longer look until she was left alone on the elimination deck. She let out a deep sigh and clenched her fist tightly. There was every chance she could have lost to Anne in a tie breaker. She couldn't go back to that career killer. No one would respect her, she'd never be treated seriously, and she'd spend the rest of her life doing convention visits wishing she'd never signed on to play stupid Evelyn Rose. She'd seen the character in the original series, if she was expected to throw away her acting skills for a measly paycheck she didn't want to even take the risk. Why bother with a risk anyway? It was what had landed her in this situation in the first place, washed up, out of work, and forgotten. She would make her comeback and it would be because a wonderful script fell in her lap that shot her back into stardom, not throwing her all into a losing battle. She just had to make it to the merge, then and only then would she get a shot with a new team and new players that were not completely useless. Then and only then would she excel.

* * *

The evening was cold but the message had been sent, as much as he hated the flower he'd picked, Trevor carried it anyway. He wore his best attire and held himself rigidly and confidently. He was going to spend time with Wilma. They'd meet together for precisely two hours. The first half hour of which would be awkward until the ice was broken and they found a topic of interest. From there he would hand over as much personal information as possible and gather the information he needed from the girl he had chosen to partner with. They would then depart with plans to meet again. The more time they spent together the better their relationship would be.

Trevor turned the corner and there at the edge of the ship gazing over the water was the girl he had chosen to court. She immediately noticed him and gave a wild greeting while he felt his own jaw drop in shock.

Wilma was leaning against the railing like some kind of ruffian and hadn't even bothered to change out of her working uniform. She was in an undershirt that was half untucked with ruffled black pants and a severe lack of shoes. Stains from dinner service clung to the pants and the scent of sweat wafted off her while she rubbed her forehead further messing up the brownish red locks puffed up from humidity and sweat raining down from her head.

Trevor approached her with his shoulders held properly while Wilma waved at him and abandoned all sense of poise and secrecy. He approached her rather curtly with his flower in hand and apologies prepared in his mind for its state. However the blue eyed beauty before him snatched it from his hands and gasped as if she was pleased with the plant clipping he had provided.

"Oh wow, this is beautiful!" She exclaimed while holding up the crushed and crumpled flower to the light. Shock rushed through Trevor and he trembled in front of Wilma, completely frozen and unable to act as she moved forward and planted her lips right on his weeks ahead of schedule. She slipped backwards and he was left staring at the wall with his eye nearly twitching. "There, that should make up for the flower."

"I… Guh…" Trevor trembled while Wilma leaned against the railing with a sigh.

"I wish I could stick around but you know it goes, morning shift is murder," Wilma chuckled while Trevor forced a smile onto his face.

"Yes, I… I understand," He muttered while she laughed and patted him on the shoulder like they were close friends.

"Aw, thanks for understanding, my last boyfriend was super psychotic about spending time with me, used to plan our evenings down to the minute," Wilma chuckled while Trevor stared at her wide eyed. Then she leaned in again and pecked him on the cheek before walking off with a wave and no other words. Trevor was left standing there in the hallway shaking for a few seconds before he clutched the railing and supported himself against it.

The kiss was four weeks early, she'd thought the flower was his best, she'd dressed up like they'd been dating for a year rather than for a first meeting, and by god was she gorgeous. She'd even thanked him for not being planned down to the minute when in reality he'd planned down to the second. Everything was wrong, everything was out of order, and yet everything felt right. He fell to the floor and leaned against the railing trembling all over.

"She's so unorganized," he muttered while continuing to picture her soft blue eyes lighting up at the sight of a crushed flower. A heavy blush and stupid look spread over his face as heat radiated through his skin and his eyes lowered happily. "This girl is going to kill me!"


	9. Antarctic Espionage

**Total Drama Ocean Cruise**

 **Chapter IX: Antarctic Espionage**

 **By: The Firebending Frog**

* * *

Most of the Sinister Sharks woke up at roughly the same time in the morning. A gym run was always in order early in the morning and no one really wanted to miss it. Even if they weren't heading to the gym they still got ready at generally the same time and ended up shuffling in to the main room of first class as a giant conglomerate mass. Warren was usually the only one absent for breakfast and the conversations that erupted during it. People were already discussing what they thought breakfast would be when they rounded that corner.

The entire group halted the second they entered the lounge though, standing near the television with a grin on his face was Bryce. He clutched the remote in his hands and looked stiff, almost like he'd been standing there all night preparing for them. A collective groan erupted the second they saw what was on the television screen, somehow Bryce had dug up the documentary they'd edited on the second day of the competition and just seeing it on screen brought back memories of just how amateur the entire thing was. Bryce however, definitely wasn't there to show them all their failures, he had specifically picked the moment where the footage cut jarringly in a time saving effort to wrap things up.

As they all stood there he proceeded to play the cut, rewind it, play it again, rewind it again, and repeat. The jagged cut played several times over and each play made Raina's face pale a little more.

"I hope you can see this," Bryce stated while motioning to the screen. "A little cheating to get Raina in the role of team captain. But what if I told you this was just the beginning?!"

"I'd leave," Phoebe replied before doing exactly that. She turned around, acting as though Bryce wasn't even there and sat down at the table. Everyone else on the team followed her and morning conversation started up again. Roxie ordered everyone to use the tongs provided instead of using their hands and Helden dumped nearly half a bottle of syrup on the flapjacks he'd taken. A hearty breakfast pertaining to no particular country sat before them, the only rule seemed to be that it was warm, something everyone enjoyed thanks to a frigid cold worming its way into the cruise ship.

Bryce didn't let this stand. He slunk around the table popping up behind people and leaning over their shoulders. Renee swatted his hand away, remembering the stupid rant he'd gone on when they'd been alone on the balcony three days prior. Helden was too preoccupied with his food to care, Phoebe literally pretended he didn't exist, and Trevor glared at him the second he got close. It was infuriating to Bryce, the way his teammates had been manipulated into trusting Raina. It was honestly shameful.

"Come on guys, every time we lose a challenge Warren does something to screw us up, has anyone noticed that?!" Bryce demanded while flinging his arms to the side like a child throwing a temper tantrum.

"Dude isn't good at every challenge, fine by me," Renee shrugged.

"Do you even remember Japan?" Olga asked while placing her large arm on the table and grinning at Bryce.

"He actually consumed raw food" Roxie agreed with a nod. "Exposing himself to germs for our sake."

"Totally threw the challenge there," Olga chuckled before leaning back and causing the normally rigid chair to squeak under her weight and size.

"I'm telling you, she cheated her way to leadership, she's a manipulative liar who will turn the entire team against you if you figure things out," Bryce exclaimed as he pointed directly at Raina.

"Can you just can it?" Phoebe requested with an air of grumpiness.

"No I-" Bryce started before Phoebe stood up and grabbed his wrist. She proceeded to drag him to the balcony door and pull it open. A chilling wind coursed into the room and everyone inside began rubbing their arms before she thrust him outside and slammed the door again turning the lock as she went. Bryce began tugging at the door handles while Phoebe glared at him from inside. She then wordlessly turned around and marched back to the table to resume breakfast.

An air of silence had erupted and no one was making eye contact with Phoebe. She looked grumpy, completely done with the constant conspiracy theories that Bryce was weaving. Every day since Alaska had been filled with nonstop yammering from the boy and she was just sick of it. Everyone was pretty freaked out by how aggressive Phoebe was but no one bothered to complain, mostly because they too were sick of Bryce's complaining.

* * *

 **The Whimsical Whales**

* * *

The air outside was absolutely frigid. Cold winds gusted over the deck, chewing their way through clothes, skin, and bones as they went. Many of the passengers donned warm jackets as they milled about the deck, crowding along the edges and pointing at the sheets of ice floating out into the water. It was the coldest they'd been since Alaska, which made sense since they were just in range of Antarctica.

Professionalism mattered to Chris, which was why none of the players working on the deck had been provided with proper clothing. Stephen sat shuddering in the life guard's chair in swim trunks despite the fact no one was crazy enough to swim in the weather. His position was envious to that of Erin and Deek though, the guys were in the smoothie bar where the air conditioner was still running. But even they failed to get stuck with the absolute worst task in the weather, mopping the deck.

Wilma would slather the deck with scalding water, it would freeze, and Elsa would have to sprinkle salt onto it after her. The passengers weren't even smart about it. They'd just walk onto the ice and slip like they expected a different outcome. Shouting would erupt after that and whomever had fallen would scrawl out a pathetic zero on a form before dropping it onto the wet ground. That review would then freeze to the deck and Elsa would have to chip it out as quickly as she could.

But all of this had been going on for so long that the two girls had taken to ignoring the events around them and begun talking about all sorts of various subjects. The competition, their teammates, and finally on Wilma's alleged romance with Trevor. It was weird for Wilma to be open so quickly about this kind of thing. In the past she'd tried to keep romantic relationships secretive for as long as humanly possible. Her friends would only find out a month and a half into the relationship, her parents even longer, and sometimes the revelation she'd been dating someone would only come out after the breakup had occurred.

The truth was that Wilma was kind of done with regimented relationships. She'd spent years dolling herself up for dates, watching what she ate, and making sure her language was squeaky clean. She was fed up with the honeymoon phase and just wanted to get to the real meat of a relationship. She'd only done it once, she'd dated the guy long enough to get to that point. The point where she could show up to his house in the same clothes from school, stop ordering salads at diners, and just be herself. Unfortunately, the moment she'd done that the guy had cheated on her. It was infuriating to know she had put all that effort into those first eight months only to have him fall in love with the illusion. So Elsa was getting an earful of that, she was learning that Wilma was just going to be herself in this relationship and by the sounds of things, Trevor was accepting of that kind of thing, handing Wilma a flower when she was sweaty and gross from a day of hard labour.

"I just want it to be spur of the moment," Wilma explained as she swept her mop over the deck. "I want to randomly decide to go see a movie twenty minutes before the showing. No time to dress up, no time to prepare, just jump in a car and go. Then you get the excitement of maybe missing the first few moments."

"Oh yeah, I totally agree," Elsa nodded without making eye contact thanks to her salt spreading. "You doll yourself up and then he stops doing it so you think that maybe you're past that, but no, he just ends up finding some bimbo to replace you with the second you relax."

"This one will be different, he's getting the end result now whether he likes it or not," Wilma continued. "No makeup, lost sleep, or following him around like a trained dog. It's all going to be random. Impromptu dates, random appearances at his door, maybe even a sudden backpacking trip around Europe or something. I want no regimentation, rules, or plan. We'll just decide to drive across the country, get married on a whim, and just have kids whenever they come around."

"Do you think you might be taking it a little too far though?" Elsa asked with a small sideways glance.

"If I give structure an inch, it'll take a mile," Wilma sighed, halting in her mopping and resting her chin on the broom handle. "I'm just sick of being put in a box, you know, having all these expectations put on me that limit everything. I don't want to study for four years and be stuck in the same job all my life. I want to randomly become an artist, decide to get a pilot's licence for no reason, and jump from city to city whenever I start settling. When I retire one day I want to say I've lived in vans, joined relief efforts to poverty stricken countries, and bummed around beachfronts with a million dollar script in my hands. Everyone expects me to just graduate, go waste away in a university for four years, and then climb the corporate ladder for the rest of my life. There's no wiggle room, just a single path to follow that leads to miserable business executives and travel when you're in your seventies…"

"Ah, but that sounds too lonely to me," Elsa replied with a wave if her hand. "Life doesn't have to be an insane roller coaster all the time, if you're always doing exciting things they kind of lose that excitement."

"Pssh, shows how much you know," Wilma replied with a dismissive flick of her hair. "Just watch, this new guy is going to love this lifestyle. Open roads, impending starvation, and constant moving around. I have a good feeling about our relationship…"

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"My last boyfriend wanted me to settle down and get married as soon as high school ended," Wilma laughs while placing her hands on her knees. "Can you imagine? Being expected to just become a homemaker and pop out babies while your husband goes out and slowly drains his soul in an office building. No way am I committing to that!"

* * *

When the Antarctic shoreline came into view and a number of passengers had been loaded into small boats the intercom buzzed to life. A collective groan spread through the contestants as they realized what was happening. No demands needed to be given, everyone bundled up as best they could before trekking to the rear deck to meet Chris and Chef, both of whom were sporting ridiculously gleeful grins. Everyone knew where the challenge was taking place and no one was looking forward to it.

Chris didn't have the "Budget" to get another helicopter so instead he tossed every team into a lifeboat and had them dropped one by one into the frigid ocean. Salty waters of freezing temperatures splashed upwards and against the teens causing more than one to scream in annoyance and agony. Then they had to row against intense currents and gale force winds towards the Antarctic shoreline.

The area selected was a small shore of rocks coated in snow that whisked upwards into permafrost and glaciers older than anyone standing there. It was an ancient landscape only touched by researchers and tour groups. For today however, Chris had chosen it as the place they'd be filming their ninth challenge in the competition. What he had in store was a mystery seeing as Antarctica didn't have a culture to speak of.

There were penguins, seeing as they were in a warmer patch of the continent animals seemed to be more common. The birds stood a distance away and stared at the strangers with beady eyes and a wariness to their bodies. They'd cleared the area when interns had begun setting up cameras and pieces for the challenge. Part of that challenge was really obvious. Right on the beach was a trio of green flags sporting the Pathetic Plankton Logo blowing in the wind.

"Antarctica is an uncharted wasteland in this world we call home," Chris started the second everyone had taken in the flags. "For years people sought out the South Pole, planting flags there and claiming it as their own. Your job is to act like a good explorer and steal the competition's flags."

"Where are the other flags?!" Lara demanded in a complete huff.

"Well Lara, since your team performed poorly in review scores yesterday everyone gets to know where your flags are," Chris explained as a wicked grin crossed his face, "You must defend them at all costs while also capturing a flag from The Sinister Sharks, The Creepy Calamari, and The Whimsical Whales. The same goes for every other team. The challenge ends when a team captures three flags or when a team loses all three flags. The remaining positions will be decided by overall ranking in the competition regardless of how many flags you defended or captured. You've been assigned points based on your ranking in past challenges. One point for first, two for second, three for third, and four for fourth. The sharks are currently sitting at ten points while the whales are sitting at twenty. The calamari are right behind them with twenty two while the Plankton have fallen behind with twenty eight."

"Great," Lara replied with sarcasm dripping from her voice. Her gaze swept over the Yvonne in anger, almost like she was assuming Anne would have been better to keep.

As she glared at her teammate Chris walked over to the other teams handing them each a map leading to their own flags. Raina took her team's, Liam took his, and Jason took the Whales'. Lara was pissed, everyone knew where her fort was while the other teams got to remain secretive. Right as she was about to lose her mind, Chris handed her a heavy rope. She took it and glanced up at him while he handed out similar ropes to the other teams.

"Use these ropes to capture attackers," Chris explained, "If you have the rope looped around you it can only be broken by another team member. The more people you capture the less rope you have, meaning that you have to make who you capture count. Now, you have half an hour to set up. When you hear the air horn the challenge begins!"

With that every team but The Plankton took off running, following their maps to their flags and leaving footprints as they ran. Lara watched them run off with her nose wrinkled in anger before she paused and stared at the footprints left behind. An evil grin spread over her face while Chris departed to some unknown location. Sure her team had placed last in the review forms, but by the looks of things Chris had accidentally told her where all the other forts were.

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

The Sharks had received a clear advantage when it came to location. Their flags were spread out over steep bluffs with narrow paths and multiple dead ends. It would be a breeze to defend from any team that came their way, even if they lost two flags, holding onto one was good enough.

Raina had already formulated a plan, it had come about when Chris had told them ties would be decided by previous standing. All they needed to do was defend their own fort. If they got their hands on a single flag they'd win. If the Plankton for example lost all their flags the challenge would be decided in their favour, so defense was key. Two defenders per flag, an assault team composed of four of their strongest, and a decision to be made regarding their first target.

The Plankton were the obvious choice. With only five players they'd be skimpily defended even if they decided to but the majority on defense. Lara would definitely move out on the offensive and Olga could take on anyone that came their way. The only concern was the possibility that the other teams could gang up on them. They hadn't lost once and it was day nine of the competition. They all had targets on their backs based solely on that fact alone.

The team was shivering but Raina's plan had gotten across. The first flag would be defended by Phoebe and Lloyd. They were stationed at the lowest point of the hillside on a thin stretch of ice that would be easy to defend. Above them was a second point where Renee and Roxie had set up shop. They were surrounded by soft snow that they could easily dump on attackers, though Roxie seemed more concerned with the possibility of ancient pathogens frozen in the ice. Finally, at the very top of the hill stood Helden and Warren, who were probably the worst suited for anything to do with the challenge and simply stood atop the hill as intimidation factor.

The offensive would be Raina herself for planning, Olga for muscle, Trevor for versatility, and Bryce for his ease travelling through the snow. He was from the northern portion of Canada, the Yukon specifically, he was the most adapted to the cold, unlike his teammates who mostly came from warmer parts of the country. The only downside was that Bryce had absolutely no interest in following any orders Raina had.

"Come on man!" Trevor exclaimed as the entire team sat atop their hill ready to break for the plan.

"I am not following her anywhere, I'll get the flags myself," Bryce retorted as he walked away from the cluster. He followed the path away from the team leader and could hear the reparations being made. Phoebe was volunteering to join the attack group but Raina was declining her offer, insisting that defense was more important. She was an absolute joke. Bryce knew what would win them the challenge, if they all stormed the other forts they could be done in a matter of minutes. They had him, Olga, Phoebe, and Trevor on the team. Easily an effective attack force that wouldn't be stood up to. They'd use everyone else as cover and charge into the other forts with their guns blazing. At the rate Raina was working they'd slowly enter opposing forts and lose the game. He knew her, she'd be a coward and hang back while others did her dirty work, and the second she did he'd make her wish she'd never let her guard down. He'd lead the challenge from there and everyone would finally see that he was the rightful leader of The Sinister Sharks.

* * *

Every team had set up their defenses by the time the half hour had ended. Bryce had ditched his team, Olga, Trevor, and Raina sat at the base of their hillside, while the six players defending it stood at ready. Their defenses would be hard to counter and half of them were natural. The location was by far the best and provided risks that no one could foresee, such as broken paths or large boulders of snow and ice.

To the east were The Whimsical Whales. They were situated in the center of a series of crevices that players could easily fall into. The ground was flat though, so they couldn't hide where their flags were. The team had overall taken a more risky approach to their offense. They'd be leaving only three players to defend the flags and those players were Jason, Elsa, and Gabriel. Everyone else would be following Stephen into battle and he was determined to capture a flag from The Sinister Sharks. He could see the hill they were milling around on and he knew that the more flags they lost the fiercer their defense of the remaining ones would be.

To the north were the Creepy Calamari, hidden under a large cropping of snow. Large icicles stood overhead and the team had taken to knocking them down and stabbing them into the snow. The rope had been weaved through this and multiple players sat at ready, prepared to snag the feet of players who walked into their territory. The main objective Liam had set was to get a flag from The Plankton. If the Plankton fell they'd get by in the challenge scot free.

Lara had meanwhile stuck Diane with one flag, Yvonne with a second, and Zilka with a third. She didn't trust Bebe with a flag and instead dragged the pink haired girl up to the top of the hill with her, scouring the landscape for the flag that would be easiest to take. She wasn't going to settle with simply grazing by, she wanted to win and she was going to win. She would take a flag from each team and prove that she deserved to be in the game despite her track record. Everyone must have realized how strong she was, there was no way they were ignorant to skills. This would be a good showcase for future teams.

That was honestly her goal. They'd been in the same teams for nine days now and a merge was definitely coming soon. A number of players were thinking about it too, at least those with their minds set on the future. They needed to make impressions, some indeed had made such impressions. Players like Phoebe and Olga were big names while players like Lara were dreaded. Others hoped a team shuffle would place them as the dominant team and others still desired a team filled with drama and players they could make alliances with. There would be thirty one players left at the end of that day, they were nearly a quarter into the competition and knew that if the number of teams went down the chances of them losing would go up spectacularly. This was their chance to prove themselves to the players they were attacking, and everyone tensed when the air horn sounded. Snow was kicked up by the attack forces on each team and the defenders prepared themselves, staring at the dots moving on the horizon hoping they wouldn't screw this up.

* * *

 **The Whimsical Whales**

* * *

Nearly every member of the team had nearly fallen into a large crevice in the landscape. Their entire base was surrounded by the things and some of them were hard to avoid or covered in a thin layer of ice. Heck, falling into some of them would cause a person to be trapped below the surface. This entire setup had convinced the team to skimp out on defense, if it looked easy then people would take more risks going after their defenses.

The decision had been made to go after the Sinister Sharks for very similar reasons to the other teams. The Sharks would definitely leave a large defensive force whether they split their team or not. However, with nine members total The Whimsical Whales were only a solitary elimination behind the leading team. If they could get a single leg up they had the potential to take over as the dominant team and make it to a potentially upcoming merge.

They could see the hillside The Sharks had holed themselves up on, it had a glaring brightness reflecting off it but they could still make out small dark figures standing near each flag. They'd spared no expense when it came to defense and the raid party wasn't quite sure if they were equipped to take them on. Their attack party matched the defenders in terms of numbers but they could easily all be captured and destined for elimination. It was kind of weird, they had no idea what any of their opposing teams had planned, and though Stephen was confident in his offensive prowess, he wasn't one hundred percent certain that jumping blindly at the best team first was the greatest idea.

This was why Wilma glanced in a different direction as they approached the Shark fortress. They were trying to plot a path to their foes that would keep them hidden when she noticed a large cropping of ice somewhere to the right of The Shark fortress. Yellow flags fluttered in the Antarctic wind while multiple icicles had been stabbed into the ground as poor distractions from the real flags. Maybe putting up multiple spires had seemed like a good idea on paper but in practice the fact the icicles were clear was giving away where the flags were. At most they'd slow the group down by a few seconds, and it seemed like the Calamari were ignorant enough to leave the base mostly unguarded, likely believing their meager defenses were good enough. Something that wouldn't last long. The second a flag was stolen they'd beef up their defenses and make it harder to capture flags.

"Hey guys," Wilma piped up, drawing the attention of all her teammates in the process. All their gazes shifted over to follow hers. Wind gusted past them catching their hair and clothes in it while they all focused in on The Creepy Calamari fort. Wilma glanced left and right taking in the expressions of her teammates. Not a single one seemed apprehensive, in fact they seemed relieved by the prospect of putting off The Sharks fort for the time being. The team that had won five out of eight challenges was rather intimidating while The Calamari seemed to be consistently teetering on the edge of losing.

Everyone knew what they wanted to do, and smiles spread across their faces as they changed direction and began making their way towards the Calamari fortress.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Okay look, none of us want to attack the winning team," Wilma admits. "They're legitimately scary with some legitimately powerful players. Not only do they have the natural talent needed to succeed but they also have the soft skills that make for a well-oiled machine. There's no drama, they always have a plan, and even when they lose it's simply because another team got lucky. The worst they've placed is second. So forgive me if I want to avoid physically going up against them."

* * *

The Putrid Plankton camp was absolutely pathetic. Three flags stood on the rocky shoreline fluttering in the cold Antarctic wind with only a single person stationed at each banner. Zilka, Yvonne, and the scrawny girl with brown hair milled about their base. From what Raina could gather the idea had been to stick one girl on each flag, the only issue was that Yvonne was the only one actually guarding one. She stood next to it with her eyes peeled for attackers while her compatriots fooled around. Zilka seemed more interested in climbing the rocks near the water to gaze at a collection of Penguins nesting one beach over. The forgettable one was busy making miniature snowmen and placing them around the perimeter of the rocky shore. It was like she hadn't seen snow before, though she also seemed immune to the cold at the same time.

The base would be a snap to overrun, the only thing causing Raina, Trevor, and Olga to hold back was the absence of Lara and Bebe. Were they off capturing flags or were they perhaps hiding and preparing to spring forth with their rope? Lara was enough of a threat to warrant caution in the eyes of the trio of Shark players.

"She's quick," Olga muttered as she gazed at Yvonne. "Those three won't be a problem but she's always a problem."

"She nearly won the surfing challenge by herself back in Hawaii," Trevor added while glancing left and right. "I doubt she would take Bebe far."

"That girl is as balanced as a one legged deer," Olga chuckled with a shake of her head.

"Okay, let's leave a sentry then," Raina suggested before glancing between Olga and Trevor pressed into the snow with her. "Rock, Paper, Scissors, odd one out stands guard."

All three blue team players put a fist out and created a shape with it. Raina created a pair of scissors with two of her fingers while Olga and Trevor crafted fists to signify rock. Both of them hit her hand and made small exploding noises before climbing to their feet. Raina remained in place while they rushed the fort far below. Olga stomped over the ground while the brunette on the Plankton shouted in surprise and began throwing her tiny snowmen at Olga to no effect.

Raina watched the charge carefully, Yvonne pulled the rope out, meaning Lara had likely gone after other flags. For once it didn't bother her too much to have made a useless decision. At least she thought so until she heard a crunch of snow. She felt fear spike in her and scrambled to her feet expecting to find the captain of the Plankton right behind her. However, instead of Lara she was faced with Bryce, he was just standing there with his ears turning pink and a glare scrawled on his face.

"You came back?" Raina asked, feeling rather confused by his return.

"Yep, and you're leaving," Bryce growled before rushing her.

Normally Raina wouldn't be afraid of someone doing this, the only issue was that the look in his eyes was one of intimidation and anger. That threatening look was enough to spur her into a run. It became very clear he was driving her somewhere and even clearer that he was toying with her. She hurried over the icy ground absolutely certain that Bryce actually intended to strike her. All that rejection from the team had finally caused him to snap, he intended to take the leadership from her physically and it made her entire body ignite with fear. Her heart was pounding, her eyes were wide, and her breath was sharp. She was just starting to get a cramp in her gut when Bryce finally decided to stop playing with her. He rushed forward and gave her a hearty shove.

Raina hit the snow hard and the ice crystals cut into her face. A sharp slab of ice ran over her cheek drawing a small line of blood while shards got down her jacket and into her clothing. Bryce hadn't even planned it but the ground under her cracked and collapsed causing her to fall face first into a tight crevice of ice. She slammed her chin into a small outcropping and landed painfully on her stomach. Sharpness shot into her eye socket and she cringed in pain, gripping her eye. Bruises began to appear on her chin, cheek, and eye while she dizzily stood up. Her boots slipped on ice and she fell on her rump sending pain through it.

Bryce loomed over the crevice, rather surprised by what had happened. It hadn't been his plan to knock Raina into a ravine. Instead he had hoped to scare her off and claim she had abandoned her post. This was almost better, the small space was cramped, the walls were too high to climb, and the ground too slippery. All that grief she had caused him welled up inside him and formed into a disdainful expression of annoyance. She'd turned the team against him by cheating and effectively made his time in the game since Alaska miserable.

"This is what you deserve, you cheater!" Bryce shouted with venom lining his voice. Raina looked up at him, a clear black eye forming on her left. He was filled with anger, all of it boiling to the surface, every single negative comment and harsh reaction to his truth telling erupting at once. "And after I win this challenge the team will finally see the truth!"

With his mind being spoken Bryce disappeared over the edge of the ice leaving Raina alone in the tiny crevice with pain rocketing through various parts of her body and fear running amuck in her mind.

* * *

 **The Whimsical Whales**

* * *

The field of icicles was rather thorough, having been built up naturally and added to by the Calamari. Not a single defender stood in waiting allowing the six Whale players to approach unheeded. They stepped into the field and began working their way through the snow, glancing left and right for defenders as they went.

"Trap?" Stephen asked with a sideways glance at Wilma.

"Definitely," Wilma replied before her eyes settled on the disturbed snow under their feet. Footprints carved through the area and no one would have noticed the odd section of snow on the ground had it not cut through a set of tracks. Wilma nudged Stephen and he followed her gaze to the spot. It looked as though someone had buried something there.

Wilma carefully stepped over the spot and paused. The ground was littered with similar spots and Wilma began to creep through the setup. Her teammates followed her in single file, placing their feet where hers had touched the ground mere moments earlier. She sidestepped one potential snare, jumped over another, and walked in the footprints of The Calamari in another area.

It was quite a nice setup to be perfectly honest, the only issue was that no one was around to guard the snares. Or at least Wilma thought. After she stepped over the seventeenth snare she saw movement. It was gone before she could catch exactly what it was. It made her narrow her eyes though. She approached the flag and stepped into a circle of snares. The flag stood before her, blowing in the wind and coloured bright yellow. The insignia for The Creepy Calamari stared at her while the arms of the squid on it tangled together below its face.

The movement erupted again and Wilma glanced down. The realization of what exactly The Calamari were doing hit her right before the defending player sprung their trap. Frank suddenly dove out of nowhere making loud noise. Wilma could easily fight him but that wasn't his plan. His plan was for her to step back and lay her foot right on a snare. However, she'd figured this out and instead sidestepped before shoved Frank right into the snare behind her. It was tugged by unseen players and Frank fell to the ground with his foot entangled in his own team's trap. He couldn't even untie it because he was technically captured. Wilma put on a smile and stepped over the last few snares before laying her hands on the flag. She gently plucked it from the snow and watched as Frank bashed his fist into the powder in frustration.

"It was a nice trap," Wilma admitted before giggling and stepping over the yellow player again. She pranced through the field of traps and rejoined her team. "One flag down, two to go."

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

Olga and Trevor trudged up the hill and away from The Pathetic Plankton base. The entire ordeal had been such an easy capture that the two didn't even look behind them. A green flag rested against Olga's shoulder and the fabric portion of it was fluttering in the breeze behind her giving off a pleasant fluttering sound as it went.

"-And that's why I'm not allowed to join club volleyball anymore," Olga concluded while giving Trevor a cocky smile.

"Do you have any idea of how many laws you broke?" Trevor demanded in response, earning a scoff from Olga in response.

"Man, you are no fun at all," Olga lamented as the duo reached the top of the hill. It was there they paused and looked left and right for Raina.

"Did we go the right way?" Trevor asked.

"Dude, we walked in a straight line there and straight line back, you literally marked the path with that girl's snowballs," Olga retorted before they both began looking left and right curiously. Raina was nowhere in sight, there were a few footprints but that wasn't really an answer to their question. They kind of just stood there aimlessly hoping she'd pop up a few feet away.

A figure did indeed appear but it definitely wasn't Raina. Both blue players scowled upon seeing Bryce approaching them. They exchanged a look of suspicion before returning their gaze back to Bryce. He ran towards them out of breath and slipped when he came to a halt. Olga was about to ask what the rogue player wanted when he interrupted her with a loud shout.

"RAINA'S BEEN CAPTURED BY THE WHALES!" Bryce exclaimed.

"What?!" Olga asked in surprise before looking at Trevor with a bit of shock.

"I ran into her out here and we were arguing about my actions when they appeared behind her and tied her up. I tried to fight them off but had to run when they began chasing me," Bryce panted while rising to his feet.

"What do we do then?" Trevor asked. Bryce was about to raise his voice and answer him when Olga interrupted. She thrust the green flag she was holding into his arms. He couldn't suggest they go take The Calamari flag because Olga claimed they'd be saving Raina. Bryce stared at her with his mouth agape while anger began to boil in response to what was occurring. He had come second in The Alaskan challenge meaning he should be next in the chain of command, but instead Olga stood there taking charge. She turned heel and began walking towards the enemy fort without another word. Trevor followed her blindly while Bryce gripped the flag tightly with a snarl on his face. He raised it into the air before throwing it on the ground and stalked after his teammates angrily.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Raina's lying is so bad that the team trusts an idiot like Olga over me!" Bryce yells while he paces back and forth in the confessional, "She needs to get out of the picture too then, right after that rat of a team leader goes!"

* * *

 **The Pathetic Plankton**

* * *

Lara was practically skipping around and giggling at the sight of The Creepy Calamari base. It was unguarded, even her pathetic team could take a flag from it. They'd somehow figured that icicles were effective defenses without realizing that they were clear and did very little to impede her movement. Bebe maybe, but her?

Bebe was tripping over physically nothing. She was an absolute klutz and Lara wanted nothing more than to give her rear a kick right off the cruise ship. She'd do it someday, but for the moment Bebe was a loyal stooge in her plans. Diane and Zilka were on her side but they didn't have the enamourment Bebe had. The girl was an ego stroker at her finest and seemed to trust Lara as the strongest player in the game, actually attempting to strike conversations with her. When they eliminated Yvonne she knew she could count on Bebe for a vote, they could eliminate Zilka without issue and then she could try to bridge a friendship with the exceptionally forgettable Diane, who was the only one left on the team with any chance of surviving in a workplace.

Lara just couldn't believe her luck though, she'd thought this challenge would be difficult, but she was able to simply stride right into the maze of icicles towards that flag. Her boots kicked snow forward and as she walked they caught under something. A bunch of snow was kicked upwards alongside a snare made of rope. Lara paused and blinked at the rope before her. She glanced left and right realizing that maybe the flags weren't as unguarded as previously thought.

"Hey Bebe, why don't you get the flag," Lara suggested while glancing behind her. Bebe had face planted in the snow from tripping over nothing in particular and she lifted her head upon hearing the suggestion.

"Really?" Bebe asked, seeming rather surprised by Lara's proposition.

"Well, since you've been such a loyal follower I thought that maybe I'd let you help the team," Lara shrugged before toying with her fingers and looking at them. "Unless of course you don't want to…"

"I got this!" Bebe shouted before hauling herself to her feet and marching through the field of icicles. The second she got close to the flag Lara saw a darting shadow rush through the spires of ice.

So there were actually defenders present, too bad they were complete morons.

Bebe was nearly at the flag when that figure darted out of the maze and leapt forward. Bebe yelped and fell backwards landing on her rump as she fell. A rope immediately snagged her body, tying her tightly into place. Lara took this opportunity and hurried forward, body-checking Frank when she got close. He was knocked back while she snagged the flag. She took a running start and planted the base of the pole in the snow. She then pole vaulted right over Bebe and landed near the edge of the ice field. She shot a grin backwards at Frank before taking off running.

She was out of the icicle field quickly and found herself being pursued by Kiara and Lucile. She was much faster though, and the two girls quickly fell behind her. Giddiness filled her body and she charged forward until her pursuers gave up. She'd actually scored, and all by herself too. Her grin spread as wide as possible and she began laughing hysterically before rushing back towards her own base again.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Did Lara just use me as bait?" Bebe asks while staring directly into the camera. She runs a hand through her hair and exhales, almost like she just released how useless Lara actually sees her as.

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

Bryce followed his teammates in annoyance and fear. They were walking towards the very crevice he'd accidentally knocked Raina into and the very last thing he wanted to have happen was Olga stumbling upon it. However, the events that had transpired earlier let him know the signs of unstable ground. Hidden pockets players could fall into if they weren't careful.

As they walked, Bryce bent down and scooped up a sizable ice shard. He clenched it in his hands watching as Olga and Trevor stepped onto a covered ravine. Thin ice began to crack and Bryce narrowed his eyes before tossing the ice shard. It hit the thin ice and broke a hole right through it. The entire sheet began to crack and before the two players standing on it could react the ground gave way and they fell several feet below the surface. Thuds sounded as they hit the ground and Bryce scurried to the edge.

Olga was fine, Trevor was rubbing his arm but otherwise seemed okay. But all that paled in comparison to the realization that they didn't even suspect him. He had to suppress a grin while Olga glanced up at him. She stood up and walked to the edge of the ice wall. Bryce continued to loom over the edge and watch as Olga ordered Trevor on her shoulders. Their plan became clear so Bryce backed up and began moving as much ice and snow as possible near the edge. The second Trevor was up on Olga's shoulders and reaching forward Bryce knelt down and kicked the rubble onto Trevor. The boy flinched and Bryce feigned a near fall. The debris and his lost footing was enough to convince Olga the plan wouldn't work.

"I'll get help," Bryce called out.

"NO! Go guard the flags! If we can just outlast the Plankton we'll survive!" Olga shouted back.

Bryce felt rage fill his lungs at Olga's order. He pulled back and began marching back towards their base camp. Olga just wanted him to cower like Raina had, no one got it. If they struck any team with full power they'd win in no time. If he was leader they'd already have won, but Raina's terrible tendrils of lies had spread further than he thought.

* * *

 **The Whimsical Whales**

* * *

It wasn't even a challenge, the six members of the Red team had rushed down the hill sending trails of snow and ice into the air with their heavy footfalls. Zilka had been staring off into the distance, Diane had been building snowmen, and Yvonne hadn't exactly put up a good defense either. They'd basically stormed in, taken the flag, and walked out with two of them fluttering in the wind behind them. Judging by the ease they took the flag they expected that the game wouldn't last much longer and that The Plankton would be heading off to another elimination ceremony.

Laughter filled the air as they walked away, following footprints that had to belong to Olga based solely on their size. It meant the Sharks were on the prowl and likely already holding several flags of their own. At least that's what most of the team thought until they stumbled upon a flag left abandoned in the snow. The footprints became a mess in the area and no one could tell what was going on.

"Okay, Olga definitely took that flag," Stephen commented while motioning to the pole.

"Then why did she drop it?" Wilma asked in reply. No one had a real answer but pretty much everyone was filled with some kind of fear. Had Lara taken Olga down? Had The Creepy Calamari done it? It was kind of freaky in all honesty so the entire red team squared up and began eying the surrounding area cautiously.

Wind blew over the cold desert while The Whales glanced at every snowbank, rock, and sheet of ice suspiciously. They clustered together long enough to realize nothing was coming. Whatever or whomever had taken Olga out was long gone. It was frightening, knowing that the strongest player in the game had been unquestionably taken out but the good news was that she wasn't going to be a threat anytime soon.

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

Bryce was out of breath when he began scaling the wall of ice and snow to his base. Six defenders stood there with three flags still present, a telltale sign that Bryce had been right all along and that Raina had made an executive error in believing that the other teams would dare strike at them. They were all wusses believing that their team was invincible. Bryce gave a whistle and heads poked out from above and he was quickly hauled upwards while his team gathered. He began forming a convincing lie to explain where Raina, Olga, and Trevor were. Olga had gone after Raina like a complete idiot when he had told her Raina had been captured by The Whales. If he could take his team over towards The Creepy Calamari then he could easily take charge for the rest of the challenge, leading a strike force that would wipe its way through every single opposing team without any opposition.

What are you doing here?" Phoebe demanded the second Bryce had calmed his breathing. There was a look of pure rage written on her face, one that told Bryce she wasn't exactly pleased by the way he'd stormed off that morning.

"Raina's been captured," Bryce panted earning a round of muttering from his teammates. "Olga and Trevor too, we need to go out there and save them!"

"Oh sure, Olga was captured by another team," Phoebe laughed in response. "We're not idiots Bryce."

Perhaps Phoebe's comments would have worked and deterred the team from even giving Bryce the time of day but there was one person who showed general concern upon hearing that Raina had been captured. It was almost ironic to see Warren's face contort into support for Bryce's call to action. The guy had the respect of the team, he'd held that respect since Japan where he had stuffed his face with food. All it took was that minor voice piping up in support to swing everyone from Phoebe's side.

It was funny how much they all cared for Raina's wellbeing. They all thought she was excellent in her role as leader and they respected her so much that they were willing to disobey her direct order. Bryce couldn't wait for the pieces of Raina's little tower fall down, driven by her own reputation. This slight moment would lead to the team seeing him as the rightful leader the team deserved. If all went as planned he could convince four players to side with him. Renee, Roxie, Helden, and Lloyd would all side with him while Raina was supported by Phoebe and Warren. Either Olga or Trevor would come to see the truth and he'd have full control of the team, as was intended.

Phoebe tried to argue, but her argument basically went in one ear and out the other as Warren demanded details. Bryce put on a sob story tale about how he had been arguing with her about his status as a rogue when she was jumped. He told them he felt so bad for making Raina let her guard down that he just had to make amends. The best way he could see that happening was to recapture their attacking squad and steamroll the competition in one fell swoop. Blah blah blah, something about how they were The Sinister Sharks, and bam he went from a rogue who had ditched the challenge to the temporary leader of the team, a title he knew would become permanent before the day was done.

"I'm staying here," The only player to see through his lies muttered. Phoebe had her feet planted firmly in the snow while the rest of the team swirled around Bryce, desperate to follow his lead. Bryce glared at her from across the hilltop thinking about how useful she could have been if she put all her eggs in his basket. Of course, she would come around when she realized Raina was a liar. Her ironclad commitment was rather enticing in all honesty. He wanted that devotion behind him, to have the blonde clad in a blue snowboarding jacket to kneel at his feet as a simple pawn in his game.

"Suit yourself, but if we lose this we all know who to blame," Bryce chuckled while holding out his hands. Phoebe had some remark planned but he couldn't be bothered to hear it. Anything she said was worth as much as the bottom of his shoe. Phoebe was a grunt, a pile of muscle and athleticism who didn't even know her place. Always wanting to stick her hands in men's work instead of keeping them where they belonged.

Bryce turned after that, all his teammates buzzing with questions he couldn't be bothered to listen to. Their words just flowed in one ear and out the other while he gave orders on where to go and what to do. They slid down the hill, an attack force of five people following his lead without a single worry in the world. Their concerns and questions were pushed away as he led them through the snow towards The Creepy Calamari base.

Phoebe watched him go, completely dumbfounded by how much his head had swollen when he'd gotten any kind of leadership. And yet, despite his faults he had been right about one thing, they definitely knew who to blame if the challenge was lost. Contrary to Bryce's belief though, that person wouldn't be the only one left guarding the flags, no, it would be the one dragging the defense away and leaving the net wide open.

* * *

 **The Pathetic Plankton**

* * *

"MORONS!" Lara shouted as she threw the yellow flag she'd captured onto the icy rocks her team called their home base. The three girls playing defense cowered below her shadow while she swept a furious gaze over them. She had made progress but the trio she'd left in charge of the base had lost two of their flags in the time it had taken her to collect one.

Zilka was once again useless, being distracted by penguins and acting like that was a valid excuse. Lara knew her type, she'd trained new employees at the ice cream parlor who had been distracted by the customers in the restaurant, deciding that gossip and comments about the patrons were more important than service. Zilka was one of those and much like the rest of the team wouldn't last long in any environment.

Diane was seriously disappointing. Her comments about rarely seeing snow where she lived meant nothing, especially when she had found it more productive to build tiny snowmen than to actually defend the flag. She reminded Lara so much of employees that took half hour long bathroom breaks six times a shift. Any goodwill she'd earned from Lara had evaporated and been replaced by anger.

Finally there was Yvonne, who didn't even need a title. The other two should have been happy they were sided by a player as wretched as her, had she not been there perhaps Lara would have punctuated the evening with one of their eliminations, but because Yvonne was there it looked like they all had a free passage to the next challenge.

For now however, Lara was torn between sending the morons out into the snow to attempt to capture a flag and heading out herself in hopes that she could snag two more flags alone. If she sent them out they'd be captured, if she left them there they'd be back to goofing off within six minutes. She hated the fact she was on such a useless team, she deserved so much better than the lot she'd been given and she made no attempt to hide the fact she was furious. Yvonne was looking aside meekly, almost like she hoped one of her compatriots would mess up so badly she'd be overlooked. That look convinced Lara to draw a deep breath inwards and point her nose to the sky.

"Don't fail me again you three," She hissed while giving all of them a sideways glance that hopefully told them she meant serious business. She couldn't let the other girls get comfortable with their screw-ups. She had to force them to feel guilty and make sure it persisted constantly. That way when she turned her wrath onto the player after Yvonne, everyone would side with her. She couldn't have a repeat of Sophie, no way, no how.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"After Yvonne leaves I have so many options," Lara laments as she gazes off into the distance wistfully. "I'm leaning heavily towards Zilka thanks to her actions yesterday, but Diane may be a bit more troublesome than a realized, you can't blame me though, she has a way of slipping by unnoticed…"

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

Raina paced back and forth in the chasm she'd been trapped inside. No one had come along the surface, which meant she was likely at the edge of the ice field and away from the action. No eyes peered from above her and no one seemed interested in helping her. Not that she deserved help anyway.

For years she'd won all sorts of class elections. She'd been picked over and over again to helm teams in P.E, hand out papers, and even make important decisions on behalf of the student body. All of which was done fair and square. She'd never tampered with votes, bribed classmates, or even slung mud at her foes. She had hoped to keep this reputation up as she exited high school, found her way into post-secondary, and eventually into her career.

But then Warren had come along and just thrown a wrench in that. He meant well, she could tell that, but his actions were causing her so much stress it wasn't even funny. She wanted to be the leader of the team and judging by everything Bryce had done she knew she was better suited for the job. Bryce was an egomaniac who put his own selfish desires before the team, he never listened, and to cap it all off he had thrown her in a hole.

She hated that hole too, her entire body was cold and her face was very sore in several places, wounds that would take days, even weeks, to heal up now crisscrossed her face, getting worse by the minute. It was madness to believe that she deserved this and she knew that, but the thoughts persisted nonetheless. Somehow she was responsible for this despite having no real involvement in the action herself. She was really just a hapless victim to the entire thing. Warren was the culprit and Warren would likely be eliminated if things were revealed. The only issue with that mindset was that people were irrational. They'd look at her, their leader, and a player with a massive amount of influence in the game.

Raina wanted to do anything else but think about this, but she was alone and freezing to death in a hole. She tread a path back and forth along the icy wall of the chasm and exhaled deep breaths of cold air. She was stuck in the shade and the chill was so bad she couldn't feel her fingers, toes, or ears. Pink had spread across her skin and she had to keep moving. That pacing was unfortunately inviting daydreaming in and that daydreaming was focused solely on Bryce. She had blamed him for at least half an hour but her mind had wandered off and decided to water her with gallons of self-doubt. It was like she was in grade school all over again, completely nervous and a wreck whenever she did anything wrong.

She knew who she was without a leadership role and it wasn't pretty. She was the kind of kid who just didn't talk. She would remain seated and let her voice shrivel up and die. It would grow strained and cracked and before she knew it she'd be a complete mute without any self-confidence at all. She needed to be in a leadership role, there was no other option for her, so in some ways she was thanking Warren. It was just sad that she couldn't just accept the role. She had to protest in her mind and claim that she didn't deserve it over and over again.

Of course, her mind was just racing as she sat in that crevice. No words escaped her mouth. It was already happening. All this stress and anxiety, the fact she was keeping a secret. It was making her voice become internal and allowing it to shrivel and shrink. Before she even knew it, she wouldn't be able to say anything. She'd just start stammering and blushing the second she was put on the spot. To make matters worse Bryce was, without a doubt, doing some nasty work on her team that would unravel their trust in her. Even if she wasn't eliminated the reality would make her slink backwards into silence. She was absolutely certain of that fact.

* * *

Bryce and his five underlings approached The Creepy Calamari fort as a large team. One last flag remained on the Creepy Calamari base and the sight of it made Bryce grow an absolutely wicked grin. He didn't even need to go to the other bases. Capturing this one would be enough for him to win the challenge for his team and take charge of them.

Warren was bouncing back and forth in anticipation. Bryce found it funny how he'd play into his own demise that day when the flag was captured by their rightful leader. In fact, he was made even more confident when he noticed that not a soul was present at the base. The field of icicles was a poor choice of defense and he led the entire team into it. They strode in confidently, leaving deep footprints as they moved towards the outcropping of ice.

By the time they realized it was a trap it was already too late. Frank popped out of nowhere and startled Warren. The larger boy stumbled back and his foot was caught in a snare hidden in the snow. Bryce blinked before grabbing Lloyd and thrusting him onto the ground in front of him. Another snare captured Lloyds arm and Bryce leapt over him. Frank continued to dart between the icicles and snares began entrapping more and more of The Sharks until only he and Roxie remained. His hands curled around the flag and he pulled it from the snow. With a dash he began running with Roxie behind him. The two of them weaved through the ice pillars until a lasso of rope flew through the ice and ensnared Roxie. She fell into the snow while Bryce charged through the remaining ice sidestepping snares and bolting out into the open. He glanced back and in that moment ran head first into someone.

The flag was plucked from his hands and he fell into the snow. A snare caught his body while he looked up at Liam and whatever force had been attacking on The Creepy Calamari. He had a leer on his face and held two flags in hand, one from The Whimsical Whales and one from The Creepy Calamari. He planted his team's flag into the snow and a wide smile crossed his face while his eyes turned to the player next to him.

"Hey Josh…" Liam trailed, "Didn't we see Olga and Trevor in a hole back at The Whale base?"

"Yeah," Josh replied before gazing at all the blue players captured at their own camp. Added together that made eight. A crooked grin slowly wormed its way over Liam's face that made Bryce's mouth fall a tremendous amount.

* * *

A cold wind howled over the hillside capturing Phoebe's ponytail as it went. Three blue flags fluttered in the breeze, whisking back and forth as the wind increased in tempo and drove any remaining heat from her body. Her lips remained pursed and her eyes were watchful of the horizon. Her hands remained clamped tightly and only unfurled when she saw movement heading towards her. Multiple figures crossing the snow with grins on their faces and greedy hands ready to grab the awaiting flags. To make matters worse she recognized people from multiple teams. All three to be precise. They weren't shoving one another out of the way to get to the flags first either. They'd begun moving as a solitary trail of people.

Her gaze narrowed intently and took her first step in ages. Marching down the hillside to the first defense point. Feet trooped up towards her, following the thin walkway single file. She cracked her neck left and right before placing her hands on a large snowball she'd rolled up. A simple push was all it took to send the large ball of snow cascading downwards. It rolled off the hillside and plummeted downwards. Stephen from The Whales went wide eyed right before it ploughed right into him, sending him sliding down the hill. Everyone watched him fall and that turned out to be a big mistake. Their hesitation allowed Phoebe to shove three more massive snowballs off the hillside. Each one hit a target throwing them down the steep hill. Unfortunately they didn't hit the one player Phoebe had been aiming for.

Lara was in the front and as expected she was powering towards the first flag with intense eyes. Phoebe stepped forward to defend her flag and Lara was at her in seconds. She leapt forward hoping to snag it only for Phoebe to body check her off the ledge. Lara fell but managed to snare her fingers onto the edge of the lower ledge while opposing players piled up the hill in her place. Their presence prevented Phoebe from rolling another snowball down the hill and nailing Lara with it. She instead had to back up while dozens of hands reached forward grabbing at her flag. A hand manages to pass her and lock around the flag before it was ripped backwards, captured by Louise of the Creepy Calamari. He gave a hefty leap and slid down the hill, his teammates however, kept pushing forward.

It was pretty clear what was happening and Phoebe felt her face contort into a snarl the second she realized it. Everyone was there, every member from every other team was rushing up her team's hill. She was forced backwards, dashing as fast as she could back up the hill to the second flag. People continued to surge forward whooping and cheering as they went. Phoebe kicked snow down on the people below her, dislodged icicles, and did everything she could to stall them. A group made it to the front though and shoving through that group was Lara. The leader of The Pathetic Plankton dashed forward and quickly sidestepped Phoebe's punch.

Phoebe could have easily grabbed her and wrestled her off the Cliffside but multiple people had their hands on her, quickly restraining her from retaliating. Lara had her hands on the second flag and was rushing down the hill in mere seconds. While this happened Wilma and several of the red team players made a break for the final flag, scurrying through the snow with pure giddiness. Liam had his arm wrapped around her neck and positioned her so she could watch her team get a loss.

"Perhaps you're not as good as you think," Liam chuckled right before Phoebe opened her mouth and bit down on his arm. He let out a yowl of pain right before she broke from his grip and rushed across the snow. Her feet threw up a galaxy of ice crystals as she overtook Brad, Erin, Elsa, and Deek. She leapt through the air aiming right at the flag and her fingers closed around it at the same time as Wilma's. They both rolled to their feet with a hand of the flag and Wilma went for two kicks. Phoebe blocked both of them with her own legs before ploughing right into Wilma with a body check. She quickly overpowered the girl from the red team, shoved her close to the edge, and then off it.

Wilma scrambled forward and managed to grab a hold of the flag, it was in vain though seeing as her hands were slipping down the edge of the flag. A few more seconds and she would be off the Cliffside. At the same time the flag was sliding out of Phoebe's hands. The length of metal between their hands extended more and more until finally the fabric of the flag hit someone's hand, and that hand belonged to Wilma.

It slipped from Phoebe's hands and Wilma fell into the snow with a thud. The second she hit the ground a loud air horn coursed over the landscape. Phoebe stared at her hands in shock while the sound ended leaving only a cold wind and the first sense of loss she'd felt in nine days.

* * *

Bryce rubbed his arm as he tossed his bag onto his losing class bunk. He'd stayed in it before but it still felt disgusting to him. He unzipped it and began shifting through his clothing. As he did this a voice cleared behind him and he turned to see the other four guys on his team glaring at him with heavyset brows.

"Don't bother unpacking," Trevor sneered with pure unrestrained venom lining his voice. Bryce felt pure rage spike through his blood and he turned, lunging at Warren and wrapping his fingers around the boy's throat. He only got two seconds of strangling in before Lloyd and Helden tore him off. He stumbled backwards and smoothed his hair out while shifting a glare over his team.

"YOU'RE ALL IDIOTS!" Bryce screamed while slashing his gaze back and forth "He helped Raina get the leadership position on this team!"

"Keep believing that!" Lloyd shouted back while Trevor stiffened a little and glanced right at Warren. The suspicious look was enough to get Bryce right in Trevor's face. He grabbed the boy's shirt and gripped it tightly with a relatively insane look in his eyes.

"You believe me! I can tell! You have to help me vote Raina out!" Bryce exclaimed while shaking his teammate. Trevor winced in response, his mind only able to picture the face that had greeted him right after the challenge.

* * *

Raina's face was pretty beat up. She had bandages on and bruises lining it. She was also wrapped in a blanket and shuddering in the cold Antarctic wind. Everyone was cold and everyone was glaring at Bryce, something Chris was having a field day with. The fact this one team had avoided elimination for so long was awful for ratings, he wanted an elimination to take place that would mess with the dynamics of the team. Hopefully enough to send them spiralling into defeat.

"Well, happy to finally see you Sinister Sharks," Chris grinned while gazing across every player on the team, "I must say that you had me going for a while. I thought that maybe, just maybe, you'd make the merge intact, but lo and behold we're here!"

"Can we just get on with it?" Phoebe demanded with a shudder.

"Should we Phoebe? You might go home…" Chris trailed. His response was a deadpan stare from the blonde that was matched by everyone else on the team.

"All right…" Chris sighed while giving a motion to the small storage closet not far away. "Votes are cast in there, stamp the passport of the person you want to go home. No more, no less, or it won't count."

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

Trevor opens the confessional door and the poorly put away equipment collapses all over him. He punches beach balls and inflatable tubes about.

Lloyd enters the confessional and steps over things on the floor before slipping and falling in a heap onto the ground. More equipment falls on him in response.

"I vote Raina!" Bryce exclaims with a stamp. "She's had control of this team for too long…"

"I vote for Bryce," Phoebe growls with hatred lining her voice. Her hand brings the stamper down hard and lifts it with the sound of peeling ink.

Raina inhales deeply before stamping Bryce's passport. A deep exhale escapes her mouth and she shuts her eyes like she's praying this goes well.

* * *

"The following players are safe…" Chris trailed while glancing from player to player. "Helden and Lloyd…"

Helden giggled happily as he received his mint while Lloyd caught his and tossed it over his shoulder.

"Olga… Phoebe…" Chris continued while the two girls caught their respective mints and looked at other players who didn't have theirs. "Renee, and Roxie."

Renee seemed happy but Roxie rolled her eyes in disgust. All she could think about was how messy chocolate could get.

"Trevor, and Warren…" Chris concluded before the blue light of the pool reflected off the final mint of the night. Raina gave a chilled sniffle while Bryce turned his head away. Chris' hand closed around the mint and he raised it into the air with a grin on his face. His eyes shifted left and right, falling on Bryce for a few seconds before falling on Raina.

Raina began to breathe heavily. Despite how safe she should have felt she was just panicking and imagining everyone on the team glaring at her. In reality the only look she was getting that fell into that category was from Bryce. He'd wrinkled his nose and formed his mouth into a snarl of hatred. Chris grinned ear to ear and opened his mouth when the tension was at its highest point. Raina bit her lip as the mint rose into the air and a slow breath of air escaped Chris' mouth…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

… Raina…" Chris concluded and Raina let out a massive breath of air while Bryce stood up. His hand intercepted her mint, knocking it into the pool. He then turned and stalked towards the lifeboat of losers. His foot shot out and kicked Warren's shin as he passed but he didn't stop long enough for anyone to shout at him. He stalked towards the boat and climbed in while glaring at Raina.

"You know what you did," He hissed before Chris hit the lever and sent him cascading into the water below. He landed with a splash and a weight should have lifted off Raina's chest. Instead it just intensified and crushed inwards. She rose to her feet with her team while Chris gave them a wave and marched away to go review footage.

* * *

Glasses bashed into one another and some of the cups spilled lukewarm water onto the table. Gross stains lined it and platters of expired food sat upon the plates, somewhere between frozen and burnt. There wasn't any protein to speak of and the pipes above them dripped foul smelling liquid and gave off bursts of pungent steam every so often. The table slid around with the rocking of the ship and a number of players felt sick to their stomachs because of it.

No one cared though, they were all grinning from ear to ear and laughing. The players from The Creepy Calamari and The Putrid Plankton were jovial and happy about the change in luck. The undefeatable team that had eluded elimination for eight days had finally fallen. All their awful luck, all their struggling was seemingly over. The next day would likely smite any hope and cheer they had but for the moment they were celebrating.

Celebrating the fall of The Sinister Sharks and the hopeful ending to their losing streaks.


	10. Final Act Comeback

**Total Drama Ocean Cruise**

 **Chapter X: Final Act Comeback**

 **Written by The Firebending Frog**

* * *

Morning for Yvonne began with an incredibly bad dream, not the kind that you forget within five minutes either. It was one of those weird ones that mixes together a bunch of events from your life and repeats itself over and over until you can't stand it anymore. She'd spent all night signing onto Black Hole Brigade. Over and over the contract had been put in front of her while her agent swore it would resurrect her career and Yestin Orville laughed behind her. The paper hadn't stopped being signed until an air horn had blown over the losing class bedroom and knocked her right out of bed.

She'd fallen right off the top bunk into a heap on the floor while her blanket fluttered on top of her. She sighed loudly once things stopped hurting and rubbed her hair. It was when her fingers touched her scalp that she realized something was off. She ran her fingers over her hairline in complete panic for a few seconds before rushing to the mirror at the other side of the room.

Someone had taken scissors to her hair. The long locks that normally fell to her mid back had been sawed down in random patterns left and right. It could be repaired, but the mere fact someone had touched her hair was sending her into a state of complete panic. Answers swirled in her head but one finally beat out the others. The hairstyle she'd end up with once she fixed her hair. That hairstyle was sported by only one other person in the competition.

Or at least only one person had sported it the day before. When Yvonne burst into the shower room she found that there were now four people sporting the hairstyle. A neat trimming that fell right to the chin. One that wouldn't take hours to prepare in the morning, wouldn't get in the face of a player, and looked professional no matter how it fell.

Lara didn't even speak when Yvonne burst into the locker room. She just snapped her fingers and pointed at the chair she'd dragged in front of a mirror. Yvonne wasn't about to follow her orders though, maybe Zilka, Diane, and Bebe had fallen for it but she definitely hadn't. She stalked up to Lara and stood right in front of her with a sneer on her face and anger curling back her lip.

"What did you do?" Yvonne hissed through her teeth

"We got the loser reward yesterday," a cross armed Lara responded while brandishing a pair of scissors rather casually. "And from what I could gather it was because we're always late to every job we're required to do. So I decided to remedy it by making some adjustments to our appearances. No more long hair, no more complex makeup, and definitely no elaborate clothing choices."

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA-" Yvonne started before Lara pressed a finger against Yvonne's lips and shut them tightly.

"We don't want to end up like Anne now, do we?" Lara asked in a mock sweet voice. Yvonne was about to reply but instead she clamped her lips shut and let out a sigh.

Embarrassment flooded her for the rest of the morning as she walked around with her hair chopped down to the length Lara had approved. Every time she had argued Lara had busted out a comparison to Anne, effectively shutting her up. All these small moments had ended with Yvonne being the solitary waitress on the floor during breakfast service. Grouchy elders, bratty kids, and impatient couples spent their first few hours awake shouting at Yvonne about pure unparalleled nonsense. It was grating work that no one in their right mind would agree to do.

But Lara was in charge and when people stood up to Lara they got eliminated.

It was day ten of this for Yvonne, and in all honesty it was likely the last day she'd ever have to put up with the control freak of a team captain she had. Forty players meant a merge would likely come that day, shuffling them into three teams of ten that would begin competing for the winning spot. If her team just survived that day, Lara wouldn't be a problem anymore. She'd get a winning team with Olga, Phoebe, or even Lloyd on it. Honestly any of The Sinister Sharks would be better than her own team.

Career resurgences came along, she just had to avoid bad scripts or risk becoming a B list actor forever typecast until her acting abilities dried up. The haircut was bad, but it was enough to convince Yvonne she might have an out. Lara was pushing at her to see if she'd snap back, if she did then she was fish food, if she didn't she had a chance to survive the next elimination. The illusion of control was something Lara needed to think she had. If that were the case then her screaming and shouting would be turned to the other girls. Her rants aimed at Bebe, Diane, or Zilka would take over her dislike of Yvonne.

So she just had to sit pretty and play her part for a little longer. Not complaining about the haircut and refraining from stepping in when Lara screamed at the other girls. Yvonne would let her shout about burnt eggs because it took the eyes off her and put them on someone else, and judging by a smirks Lara kept shooting her way Yvonne's strategy was working.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Why did I cut everyone's hair?" Lara asks with a chuckle and shake of her head. "The answer is simple, we're getting down to small numbers on this team and rooting out any rebellious players like Sophie is a must. Whomever seems most resentful to me will be eliminated, if they all comply then Yvonne gets sunk. Everything is finally going my way…"

* * *

Names had been scrawled all over Louise's journal. Every single player on his team was listed from Josh to Kiara and small lists had been drawn under them. Certain statistics were scrawled out denoting the value of each player on the team. Josh for example had the sentences, "Good at photography," and, "Persistence," written under his name while Nadie had, "Muscle," and, "fishing skills," to hers. To anyone else this might seem like gibberish and small notes on what each player was good at, but to Louise it marked who was useful and who was not.

In his nine days of competition he'd come to learn one thing about Liam, the guy wasn't a moron. Perhaps he'd played dungeons and dragons or something in that vein before because he was definitely aware of every statistic written on that page. Their two eliminations had been Jules and Bubba. Louise could understand Jules, but Bubba was taking a bit more to make heads and tails of. He'd poured his heart and soul into working his way into the big guy's head only for him to be eliminated the very next evening.

To an outsider this was a bizarre choice seeing as Bubba was a giant of a man, but to Louise it became clear as to why Liam had pushed for his elimination so hard. Bubba was a grunt through and through. A lazy beach bum who only added diversity to the cast thanks to his skin tone. Nadie filled every box Bubba had checked and more. Liam was clearly working to root out overlap wherever it appeared and unfortunately this equaled clear favoritism.

It was no secret he enjoyed the company of Lucile, perhaps a little too much, and unfortunately for Louise she had an annoying amount of overlap with his own skillset. They diverged at his strong stomach and her cooking skills, and Louise would probably survive an elimination or two unharmed. It was what came afterwards that was scaring him. As they whittled down their numbers he'd become more and more present on the chopping block and if Liam were to target Stewart next it meant he'd likely made a similar list.

Louise overlapped quite a bit with Lucile and also found himself quite similar to Frank when it came to many of his talents, an obvious problem, but one he hoped didn't require attention. He had already formulated a plan to break this mould of being a simple pawn to Liam and it had come through a skill Liam wasn't quite familiar with. No one would be anyway, as none of the challenges had required them to write out answers to questions yet. Perhaps if a trivia show with pen and paper had emerged people would have caught it, but alas, good luck had shone upon Louise.

Nadie was left handed so for her handwriting Louise used his own left hand, making sure to smear some of the ink with his palm as he went. Nadie only ever wrote in her diary with an India ink pen and would wash her hands after finishing the writing. Long swoops formed every neat cursive L, G, and E while dots were never added to I and lines were never added to lowercase T's. It was quite a simple forgery overall.

For Liam a rather beautiful scrawling was in order, always signed on his evaluation forms. Louise found it quite interesting that Liam had a decent hand, likely from years upon years of private schooling. It was quite funny to imagine the boy with unkempt hair styled like a ruffian and a slouching demeanour standing in a private boy's school. By the looks of it he hadn't ever had a chance to learn a sloppy chicken scratch, likely being smacked on the wrist whenever his handwriting went south.

"Bad boy isn't so bad," Louise chuckled to himself as he scratched out the last of his message in Liam's handwriting. He knew the type of private school that produced not only the clean writing but also the colourful vocabulary. Nothing could hide literary analysis and high grades in English courses. Why judging by the perfect spelling, Liam must have been an honours student. Louise wanted nothing more than to expose his punk attitude as fraudulent but that wouldn't achieve anything. Instead he just grabbed an envelope and half stuffed the letter into it. He then rose and walked through the losing class bunks. Nadie was down there, working hard and collecting the linens from the girl's room, perfect timing.

Louise wasted no time, he walked to Liam's bed and half-heartedly tossed the envelope on it, a rant about how back woods Nadie was written to a schoolmate Louise had heard Liam talk about. Of course, he was talked about like he was some kind of wannabe who spray painted walls and smoked bootlegged cigarettes. Louise figured the friend was actually a rather upstanding guy who didn't know what Liam got up to during his summers. The letter was just a simple rant that would definitely strike a nerve with Nadie seeing as she didn't exactly take being called a girl well, at least that's what Louise had gleaned from her interactions with Bubba. She responded harshly to perceived sexism which spoke volumes of her upbringing. Likely the youngest in a family and the only girl. Trying desperately to push against someone's, perhaps her mother's, orders for her to be ladylike. He could sense ballet in her past, it was in the way she walked. She thought the only way to rebel against the constraints of her parents was to act like a butch lesbian, but no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't bring herself to like girls.

But that was just a theory, what was important was that her gender was a sore spot that the letter was hammering nails into. Louise slipped out of the room, gave a nod to Nadie and whistled to himself as he walked down the hallway. He paused at the end and walked back towards the rooms, counting down in his mind as he went.

The letter would fall on the ground, Nadie would read her name near the open part, and her nosiness would drive her to open it. A smug smile crossed Louise's face the second he reached the door. He wasn't seen, but he heard her shout of outrage. He then turned heel and walked away, with Nadie's brand new diary in his pocket, perfect for escalating things if they slowed down a little. Sure it only had three pages filled, and all three were going on faux feminist rants that would make Louise's mother shake her head and complain about ignorance. A fourth with a rant against Liam was just waiting to passed onto the boy, whether it had been written by the diary's owner or not.

* * *

A large harbour on the western edge of Australia was the destination for _The S.S McLean_ and even more important to the passengers was the exquisite port of call that was Sydney. It was a very nice day with clear skies, a delightful sea breeze, and excellent service from The Sinister Sharks. Per the norm, jokes were made about how the blue team should lose more often due to their excellent service.

Once the passengers cleared out Chris buzzed every single team to the ramp and they all descended onto the dock in a large file, loaded into a bus, and drove through rush hour traffic while Chris fiddled around with the speaker system on the bus. He knew how it worked but was purposefully irritating the contestants by bringing the microphone close to the speakers and speaking into it while it was off. He didn't get his act together until they passed The Sydney Opera house.

"Welcome to Sydney, one of the biggest theatre magnets in the world," Chris announced with his hands held open. "And for today's challenge you'll be taking part in that theatre scene with an acting challenge."

"Are we performing there?" Yvonne asked with a brightness in her eyes that induced laughing in Chris.

"No," Chris replied as they passed the famous theatre "Is Broadway the only theatre in New York? No. In order to sustain such a high class theatre smaller outlets for lesser actors exist. We've rented out a really cheap one downtown that should fit our needs. Each team will select three actors to perform in a play we managed to get rights to. The better your performances the higher you score. Best score rides first class while worst score cuts a player loose."

Excited murmuring immediately began the second Chris flicked his microphone off and sat down. Bebe began rubbing the back of her head and gazing at the ground while Yvonne glanced at her with worry. Everyone else seemed excited about the prospect of being on stage, or at least indifferent, but Bebe looked petrified by the idea.

"You okay?" Yvonne questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Fine," Bebe replied in absolute panic. "Perfectly fine!"

Yvonne scowled in response and glanced out the window at the passing street. Her worried expression reflected off the glass but behind her a look of pure rage was reflected. Nadie was tapping her foot in sheer annoyance and had wrinkled her nose in disgust, something that was definitely freaking Kiara out a little. She'd been taking pictures with a disposable camera but most of them were ruined by Nadie's face, something that made her lower the photography device and raise an eyebrow.

"Is the flash annoying you?" Kiara questioned.

"No…" Nadie replied in complete deadpan.

"Don't like having your picture taken?" Kiara asked.

"It's not you," Nadie growled before her gaze shifted over to Liam. The guy was trying to make conversation with Lucile but clearly didn't know what he was talking about when it came to the theatre. Her gaze hardened while Kiara watched Liam curiously. Nadie didn't say anything else but to the girl with the camera it was clear that something sour had occurred between the two, and whatever it was it was more than a simple mistake.

* * *

 **The Pathetic Plankton**

* * *

"Sir Benjamin, King's guard one, and The Princess," Lara listed as she paced back and forth in front of her teammates. They all sported standard issue haircuts and had their clothing tucked in. The only real difference between them was the way Lara viewed each of them and if she were to be perfectly honest, Zilka just needed to go. The only hiccup was Yvonne and making sure she kept her trap shut and remained in place.

There was only one way to test this and Lara knew what it meant sacrificing. If Yvonne wanted to keep her head she wouldn't argue with Lara's judgement on this challenge. There was a good chance they'd lose because of it, but Lara didn't care, in all likelihood it would be their last day as a team anyway. So she swept her gaze across the girls in front of her, rewards needed to be handed out to the most loyal followers she had so she extended a finger and pointed at Diane.

"You will be the guard," Lara announced while Diane blinked in surprise. Lara's finger than moved to Bebe and pointed directly at her. "And you will be the princess."

Yvonne watched as Bebe's already pale skin tone flushed of all colour. She looked clammy and white as a script was put in her hands. She shuddered and quivered a little while staring at nothing in particular, trying her hardest to push air out of her lungs in protest. Nothing emerged though, it instead sat in her throat collecting dust and bouncing about in a choke of pure terror. Yvonne had seen the look before, usually on new actors who were hired simply for their appearance. Boys and girls who looked the part needed but had such bad stage fright that they stiffened whenever more than one set of eyes gazed upon them.

She'd never had the issue herself, she'd been practically born into acting, being handed to Melissa Fawn to play the part of her baby at only six months of age. She'd grown up on sets, smiling for cameras, and memorizing lines. It just didn't allow for that kind of terror to erupt. But for someone like Bebe who probably hadn't been in front of a director her entire life this was likely terrifying. Yvonne was about to give some sympathetic remark to her teammate when Lara piped up with her final casting choice.

"And I of course will play the role of Sir Benjamin," Lara announced while leering at Yvonne. The look wasn't even needed, Yvonne already knew what Lara was up to. Lara knew she was an actress and that casting her would have been the easiest choice in the world, heck it might even score them a win. But Lara didn't want a win, she wanted to cut someone else off the team. It was in her eyes, a look of calmness like she'd already won. She was convinced the merge would take place the next morning and that she'd never have to see any of them again. She wanted to cut whomever she deemed the least worthy to be there and was staring at Yvonne begging for her to retaliate, for some of that fire Sophie and Anne had shown.

Yvonne wasn't going to give her any. It meant she was willing to let her vote slide for now and eliminate one of the players she'd been gunning for since day one. It was no secret that she had a disdain for Bebe and Zilka, but she needed to be certain it wouldn't bite her in the rump. She was staring dead into Yvonne's eyes, begging for retaliation and her face only changed into a smug grin when she realized Yvonne wasn't offering any of it.

"Smart, not following Anne's advice," Lara smiled before turning away with her script in hand. "Now memorize those lines or I'll cut the lifeboat lines myself!"

* * *

 **The Creepy Calamari**

* * *

The play wasn't the most original thing Frank had seen, it was clearly aimed at general audiences and had very little nuance beyond the most common tropes available. Some poor boy from a poor family would enter a tournament with tough knights for the hand of a princess. That princess was pretty bland, every role had been done to death, and Frank was thankful he hadn't been cast at all. They'd been handed rather moderate roles and the bigger two had been filled by the more outgoing players on the team, Nadie and Liam.

Frank could have mentioned his years in improvised theatre but he'd decided to forgo mentioning it on account of the sheer tastelessness of the script. Audience pleasing shlock wasn't up his alley, he wanted something more highbrow and critical to act in, something with real drama and real issues. So he'd volunteered for costuming and was in the process of walking Liam's knight costume down a hall when he heard angry shouting erupt from the dressing room Liam had been using. He hurried forward and pushed the door open to find Liam pacing back and forth with a little black book in his hands while Lucile and Louise watched him walk with two very different expressions on their faces.

"- A complete fake!" Liam ranted as he paced back and forth. Other spat words erupted from his mouth but without the first part of the rant being known, Frank was having a hard time piecing it together. He looked at Lucile's face for answers but she seemed rather frightened by the explosion of anger that was blasting out of Liam's mouth. It was an honest reaction, one of sympathy and fear. Frank could deduce that whatever had set Liam off was worthwhile. Confusion however appeared when he glanced at Louise.

For a fraction of a second he caught a look of pure excited glee on Louise's face. A pure joy that told Frank something had gone horribly right. It was blink and you miss it though as the two of them made eye contact and suddenly Louise was sporting a similar look to Lucile. The entire facial change was so quick that Frank honestly questioned if he had seen anything at all and he couldn't loiter on the subject for long seeing as Liam had turned towards him pretty quickly.

"Everything all right here?" Frank asked while glancing at everyone in the room in quick succession.

"Nadie, just crossed a line!" Liam shouted before throwing the little black book at Frank and beginning to pace back and forth. A lighter was pulled from seemingly nowhere and he began flicking it on and off with each step he took. A small flame flickering to life in his hands while he stomped about.

Frank hung the costume up and flipped the book open. All the handwriting was consistent and for the most part complaints had been aimed at Bubba, nothing really surprising. It wasn't until the last filled in page that the point of topic abruptly switched. Frank didn't really get most of it, and in all honesty it wasn't the worst thing someone could say about another, it just seemed like the rant had pushed all the wrong buttons and aggravated Liam. Too much in fact to all be made up. If it was hitting that close to home it must have been true. Frank wanted to do a second look at the book but Liam had snatched it from his fingers before he could perform another take. The lighter was held up under the thing and the pages quickly caught fire. Liam tossed it in the trash and smoke began to billow out of it while flames erupted in the depths of the can. Liam quickly stomped the diary out and grabbed his costume before marching off with Lucile in tow. Frank watched them go, blinking every few seconds while Louise stopped next to Frank.

"Shame, I thought we were all getting along so well," Louise sighed while shaking his head in disappointment. "But if Nadie is ranting about us behind our backs then…"

"We target her," Frank replied while watching Louise's face. The boy couldn't hide a broad grin spreading across his face even if he took on a somber expression after a few seconds. He patted Frank on the shoulder before exiting the room after Liam. The door swung closed and Frank let his face fall into a frown.

He marched over to the trash can and pulled the charred diary from it. The black cover had been crispified and the edges of the pages were burnt out. Opening it revealed that some of the pages had managed to survive. He could still read sections of Nadie's rant against Liam and it made him scratch his chin and ask how Liam had even found the thing in the first place. Last he'd checked people tended to keep journals and Diaries away from prying eyes. The faces Louise had made and the oddness of the journal were just not adding up, so he slipped the diary into his pocket and brushed his hands off before following his teammates out of the room.

* * *

The first act of the play was pretty standard for the people acting onstage. Lara was playing the lead role and she was pretty decent at it, sticking to her character and performing as required. Before she appeared however, Jason and Trevor played the roles of the king and a rich knight respectively. Trevor was vying for Bebe's hand onstage and bragging about his riches while Jason explained that his daughter would need more than money. This was of course performed before a live audience that had filed into the building in an uproar of murmuring, mostly attracted by the fact this was going to be broadcast on TV at some later point. Once they were seated they stared at the stage ceaselessly and light kept reflecting off their glasses as they moved.

Bebe was exceptionally thankful she didn't have any speaking roles in the first portion of the play while she sat there completely petrified for the first scene. Her eyes kept washing over the crowd and the crowd stared back. Her shoulders were stiff and sweat was beading down her face while her eyes quivered. She actually didn't realize how much she had sweat until the scene ended and she stiffly passed Lara to the backstage. Yvonne needed to fix her makeup and lifted the hat off her head revealing her pink hair pressed against her forehead in an exceptionally sloppy manner. Heat flushed her and she could feel the sweat pressed into her armpits.

"Are you okay?" Yvonne demanded as she pressed a hand against the pale forehead of her teammate. Bebe was wavering back and forth like she might pass out at any second and Yvonne had to guide her towards a chair. Bebe shakily sat down in it and exhaled extremely deeply while a conversation between Lara and Wilma occurred onstage. Something about how they were poor and blah blah blah. Yvonne could hardly be concerned though. Normally she paid attention to acting even when she was offstage but for once she couldn't be bothered. She instead hurried to a water fountain and began filled a water bottle at it. She then rushed back to Bebe and handed her the water.

Bebe clammily drank the water and her breathing began to accelerate. She began floundering around until she grabbed the neck of her costume and pried it open, letting it fall over her shoulder while her free hand began fanning her chest. She was so concerned with cooling down that she didn't even notice that she'd just exposed her bra to Erin who stared at her for a few seconds before averting his gaze in embarrassment.

"Cover up," Yvonne ordered through grit teeth while she stepped between a camera's line of sight and Bebe's chest.

"Gotta… cool… down," Bebe panted while continuing to hyperventilate. Yvonne quickly put her hands on Bebe's shoulders and began to exaggerate her breathing until Bebe matched her. They breathed heavily for about a minute before Yvonne began to calm her breathing down. It was slow progress but eventually Bebe was breathing fine and not panicking anymore.

"Are you going to be okay?" Yvonne asked as she readjusted Bebe's dress so her bra was hidden again. Bebe didn't have an answer, instead she just dragged her knees close to her chest and let loose a small whimper. Yvonne gave a deep sigh, knowing her answer was a definite no. Bebe had some severe stage fright, the same kind of weird look she'd grown back in Alaska when all eyes had been on her. Her clumsiness had seemingly increased tenfold at that time but that was nothing compared to this. Yvonne didn't even know where it originated from or why it had formed in the first place but it was there and it was a clear problem.

She fanned Bebe hoping she'd calm down until clapping erupted and the scene between Wilma and Lara ended. The two girls walked backstage while other actors headed out to the stage to perform their own scene. Yvonne took one look back at Bebe before putting on a burst of speed and hurrying to catch up to Lara.

"Lara!" Yvonne called, thankfully drawing the captain's attention as she shouted. She skid to a halt and let out a deep exhale before making eye contact with her. "I don't think Bebe's up for reading lines."

"And what do you propose?" Lara asked while placing a hand on Yvonne's shoulder. In a flash she was pinned against the wall by Lara's strong arm while the captain leaned in so they were nearly lip to lip. "Are you thinking about putting yourself on that stage in her place?"

"Well-" Yvonne started before being quickly cut off.

"Listen here and listen closely," Lara hissed while refusing to break eye contact with Yvonne. "You thought that perhaps Sophie was a better option and watched her attempt to eliminate me burn. I would take immense satisfaction in tossing you off the boat this instant but I'm not going to do that because you, unlike some of our teammates, actually have some useful skills. So back off, let her screw up, and fall into place when we eliminate someone tonight. Then and only then will I let you survive. Got it?!"

With her mind being spoken Lara released Yvonne and took a few steps forward before stopping. She turned her head and stared back and Yvonne with narrowed eyes. A silent warning not to even speak out of place that made Yvonne swallow and hang her head. She turned back to Bebe and approached the girl who continued to sit there shaken and frightened. Yvonne wanted to help but her fear of Lara easily outclassed her sympathy for Bebe.

* * *

When Nadie walked off the stage her face immediately fell from a smile to a massive frown. Spending time onstage with Liam had proved to be all the confirmation she needed when it came to his opinions on her. The guy had spent the entire time glaring at her from across the stage with pure hatred scrawled on his face. It was clear to her that the message in that dumb letter had certainly come from him. The handwriting had already made her certain, but now there wasn't a doubt in the world. He'd proven himself to be another sexist pig who was afraid of her strength. He probably expected her to just fall back in line and learn her role.

Her aggravation was only interrupted by Frank of all people walking up beside her. Sure they were teammates but it wasn't like they had become exceptionally close. In all honesty Frank kind of annoyed her, a clear city boy who likely hadn't spent a weekend camping or ever had to shovel a driveway. He seemed like a junior version of a pretentious café writer to her and in any other circumstance she wouldn't have even glanced at him.

"Hey Nadie, I was wondering about you and Liam," He piped up the second they were side by side. Nadie immediately tensed up and stared at her teammate curiously. She wasn't certain if he was curious as to the tense air between the two of them or if he had somehow been told something by Liam. So she exhaled deeply and ran a hand through her hair, deciding it was probably best to approach the subject from the perspective that Frank didn't know anything.

"Let's just say I realized Liam isn't actually the person we all thought he was," Nadie muttered as they reached the water fountain and got in line behind Trevor.

"You mean he isn't a bad boy and is actually a stuck up prep student," Frank stated as if that somehow connected to her statement.

"WHAT?!" Nadie demanded in a rather confused manner while gazing at the rims of the boy's glasses. They didn't even have frames in them and that fact was annoying her more than his apparent ignorance on the subject of Liam's letter to her. "Liam acts like he's nicer than that outer shell he puts up, but in reality he's just as much of an ignorant punk as he looks. Misogynistic, violent, and holding a massive disregard for laws. The whole humble niceness is actually just a misreading of his personality, brought about only by his actions on the first day."

Frank blinked upon hearing this, according to the diary in his pocket Nadie had written about how Liam's rebellious attitude was a lie and he was in reality a preppy schoolboy who tried to hide his true personality under a layer of rebellion. There was some disconnect between what Frank was being told and what had been written, almost like Nadie hadn't written the piece herself. Frank dug into his pocket the second he realized this and pulled out the black diary that Liam had been in possession of.

"Did you write this to Liam?" Frank demanded as the charred diary emerged from his pocket. Unfortunately it was too damaged for Nadie to recognize as her personal journal. She didn't show any realization or shock in her eyes and instead dug into her own pocket, drawing out a letter and waving it into Frank's face.

"You should see what he wrote to me! Absolute pig I say, once I show this to the rest of the team they'll know all about who the real Liam is!" Nadie ranted. Frank could hardly listen though, she kept ranting on and on while he snatched the paper from her and ran his eyes over it. The letter was addressed to Nadie and definitely looked like Liam's handwriting. But once again it didn't quite match up with what Liam had been complaining about. Liam had been all defensive about being seen as a prep student who hid behind a rebellious streak, yet the letter made it out to look like he'd been angry about Nadie supposedly getting in his way.

Both pieces of writing had been aimed at clear trigger points on their targets and yet there was a dissonance between the supposed authors and their works. Almost like a third party had been involved. Frank pursed his lips and stared at the papers, perfect handwriting native to the signatures and yet Frank was absolutely certain both would deny writing what the other had read. He frowned heavily and turned his shoulder to see Louise writing something on his own script. As Frank watched he managed to spot the boy's arm getting sore. He quickly shook the hand off and switched without so much as a pause. Writing with his left and right in quick succession with no ill side effect. He was ambidextrous.

"Mind if I borrow this," Frank muttered as he clutched the Diary and Letter in his hands, "I think I might want to talk to someone about it."

"Be my guest," Nadie responded before marching away. Frank continued to stare at Louise until the boy paused in his writing and glanced at Frank. His eyes drifted to the book and paper clutched in Frank's hand and no expression change overcame his face. All that happened was the two of them stared one another down silently waiting for some change. The lack of it gave both of them confirmation to their suspicions.

* * *

Most of the second act of the play went off without a hitch. Audience members seemed to enjoy it okay, the acting was fine, and the ones watching critically had pretty much selected the best actors by the fifth scene. They found Nadie and Liam to be extremely off in their reads, Jason was playing his king character far too exaggerated, and that Lara was absolutely flat as an actress. Current penning designated the Putrid Plankton as the worst team, not at all the fault of Diane and Lara either, though they didn't help. Every critic was rubbing their eyes and sighing as the third actress from the team stood petrified and pale onstage.

Bebe had lines but she hadn't said them, she had blocking, but it hadn't been performed, and she had interactions that were entirely one sided. She just stood there in a dress muttering out nonsense every few seconds. The entire audience was just bored out their minds and uncomfortable as Jason tried his best to improvise around Bebe, unfortunately he was such an egotist he'd taken to inflating his character's accomplishments and brought the entire scene to a complete standstill. None of the critics could really blame the boy as it took years of practice to even get remotely close to being good at improvising.

Bebe was sweating so profusely and the entire scene would have kept dragging if her panic hadn't increased so much that she collapsed onto the ground from sheer fright and panic. A bunch of obligatory gasps filled the air and the scene was abruptly stopped while the girl was hauled offstage. A few minutes passed before more actors emerged onto the stage and the play resumed as it normally would, scripted and all. A calmness quickly spread across the audience and they resumed watching the play without any real concern for the girl backstage, she had been a terrible actress after all.

In the transition of Bebe from onstage to backstage Lara simply gave a disappointed shake of her head and slapped her prop helmet back on before walking out to continue acting, hoping to somehow salvage what was turning out to be a rather terrible challenge. With their team captain showing no real concern, Yvonne was left to quickly grab a damp cloth and press it against Bebe's forehead. She was clearly not okay and Yvonne couldn't believe how out of hand the stage fright had gotten. She removed layers off the costume, making sure Bebe could sweat properly while also running the cold cloth against her forehead. An entire scene was enacted before Bebe's eyes flickered open and she groaned from a clear headache. She tried her best to sit up but she was unable to and slumped backwards with a groan.

"No, stay down," Yvonne ordered before entering into a bout of motherly shushing. Bebe was lain back down on the makeshift bed of coats and dresses that had been pulled together and promptly began rubbing her eyes with her palms. A loud groan escaped her lips while Yvonne let out a deep sigh of her own. She pushed sweaty hair out of Bebe's eyes while gazing over her body. Clapping eventually emerged and several actors walked backstage. Lara was one of them. She walked up in a way that started out with concern but when she spoke Yvonne felt her entire face contort into a hidden look of annoyance.

"Good, you're up. Get ready for your next scene," Lara muttered, almost like she believed Bebe had fainted on purpose. She then trotted away while Yvonne watched with a look of shock.

She quickly scrambled to her feet and caught up to Lara, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder. The two did a quick spin before they were face to face, Lara holding annoyance on her face while Yvonne held a look of concern.

"She's in no state to go back out there," Yvonne insisted.

"Stop using her weakness as an excuse to get yourself out there," Lara responded with the jab of a finger right into Yvonne's chest. "Remember, this is your chance to prove to me you're not like Anne or Sophie…"

"Then put Zilka on! Do something instead of sending her back out there," Yvonne responded in exasperation before giving a deep sigh and glancing behind her. She then drew her gaze back to Lara with an air of seriousness. "She's choked twice now, and it doesn't take a critic to realize we're on the chopping block if she goes out a third time."

"See, this is why I want you around," Lara chuckled before looking deep into Yvonne's eyes. "But no, if Bebe fails then she goes home and we're one player closer to a perfect team."

"And how many players will we lose before you have that perfect team Lara?" Yvonne demanded before pursing her lips.

"As many as it takes," Lara stated coldly before walking past Yvonne, hitting her shoulder roughly with her own as she went to emphasize her point. Yvonne inhaled deeply and glanced back at the Bebe the second Lara was gone. The pink haired girl rubbed her eyes in clear discomfort and pain. It would be a definite loss if she was sent out again, but not one Yvonne would be blamed for.

* * *

The penmanship was perfect, every single swirl of Nadie's cursive existed on that fourth entry in the diary. Frank couldn't figure it out and every piece of logic was telling him that the entry had indeed been written by Nadie. That everything displayed on those two notes was truly meant by the people who signed them. Frank however, couldn't shake the concept he was being played though, that someone was skilled enough to mark the papers correctly.

It had to be Louise, Frank knew it but he had no proof at all beyond a blank stare and looks he could have easily imagined. He could picture himself approaching Liam with this information and just being blown off. To make matters worse he was certain Louise knew he was onto him. He only had a limited amount of time to work seeing as Louise was due back at any second from the stage.

The challenge was honestly kind of boring if one wasn't acting in it, they all sat backstage twiddling their thumbs and listening to poorly read lines, Jason's ego, and Phoebe's lack of memory on certain phrases. Frank however, listened intently for the sound of applause, his signal to stow the letters again and approach both Nadie and Liam. He had to convince them someone was messing with them, if he didn't it was quite easy to imagine the entire team falling into disarray. No longer aiming the votes at the weakest link but at the other side. They'd lose strong players and end up swirling in the toilet that was elimination until they'd all been eliminated. If this split happened he would have to choose a side, and if he chose wrong he'd be on death's row rather than relatively safe.

The actors were in the process of a fake fight and he could hear the improvised clanging of blunt swords over the speakers. He gave a shout of annoyance as the sound filled the air. There was no evidence to be found, none at all. If he only had a letter or something, another message that he could claim he found in someone's jacket.

That thought made him stiffen and turn his head around to where their jackets had been collected and piled up for Bebe. The girl had stood up and was guzzling water so his timeframe was limited. He quickly darted across the wooden backstage floor to the pile of clothing and began to root through it until his hands crossed over Louise's jacket. It was black with yellow markings in several places, a sports jacket from some private school he'd never heard of before. The number twenty two was printed boldly on the back alongside Louise's last name.

As he dug through it he felt something hidden in the jacket. Not in the pocket but in the space between the jacket's exterior and interior. A large pocket that wrapped around the body with a mesh cover. Frank dug in and found his fingers closing around a couple envelopes and papers. All in the same style as the one that had been sent to Nadie. It was at that very moment that Frank felt his eyes widen. Clapping erupted from the audience and he scurried over to where Louise had left his script, shoving past Jason as he went. He ground to a halt before the thing and just caught sight of the cover.

Not a marking was to be found, the thing had no ink on it whatsoever. He was about to check the other pages when a medium brown hand shot forward and snatched the script off the table. Frank whirled around to come face to face with Louise. The boy was shorter and had his hair cleanly swept to the left while dark brown eyes stared at Frank suspiciously.

"Sorry, I need my script," Louise stated in a matter of fact tone.

"Where are the letters?" Frank demanded in sheer anger and annoyance.

"Letters?" Louise asked curiously as if he didn't know what Frank was referring to.

It was at that exact moment that loud shouting erupted from two separate voices. Both Nadie and Liam stormed up to one another with letters clutched tightly in their hands. Anger barked between the two as insults flew from their mouths and arms began shoving one another. Frank stared at the carnage unfolding before him in complete shock with the rest of the players backstage. However, unlike them he quickly turned his gaze onto Louise who stared back at him. Frank narrowed his eyes and in a swift movement had the letters snatched from his hands. The blank papers were folded and slipped into Louise's pocket with only Frank watching.

"Keep your nose out of my business or else," Louise hissed with his face contorting so lines erupted all over it. He then turned and walked away, lifting off some of his costume to cool down as he went. Frank then turned his eyes back to the near fistfight erupting before glancing after Louise again with venom in his eyes. Louise happened to be looking back at this time and his eyes now showed minute annoyance, almost like Frank was nothing more than an annoying rock in his shoe.

* * *

The third act of the play was rapidly approaching and to say Bebe's stress levels were at an all-time high was an understatement. She kept proclaiming that she had hundreds of lines when it was really only thirty eight, a fact Yvonne kept trying to remind her of. She was trying her best to psych Bebe up to the part but the girl was having none of it. The mere concept of going on stage again was causing her to tense up and begin rambling. Yvonne couldn't stand to see her like that. The idea that Lara was willing to throw away the challenge, embarrass Bebe, and put her under this much stress was rather sickening.

But Lara wanted Bebe on that stage and if Yvonne wanted any chance of survival it was her sworn duty to prepare Bebe to go onto that stage. No questions were to be asked and no rebellion was to be given, if all went according to plan she'd be on a new team in a day or two. On the other hand she could easily swap places with the scared girl and relieve her stress but be guaranteed a lifeboat ride. She'd lose any chance of making it off Black Hole Brigade and she'd be known as Evelynn Rose for the rest of her life, always trapped in the shadow of the role regardless of what she moved onto performing.

She would have picked the former in any other circumstance but the sheer panic on Bebe's face was alarming. Bebe did not want to go out onto that stage and making her do so was pure torture.

The script for the Black Hole Brigade pilot had her character accepting the role of a hero because she couldn't let others suffer, no matter what it cost herself. She'd always read those lines in an unenthused tone that the director was disappointed in. She'd been about to shoot her scenes officially when a co-star had broken his leg. A six month delay had been created and he'd told her to add some real emotion to the lines in the process. She'd been tasked with stepping between a victim and his bullies before being chased down. It was then that she was supposed to be chosen for some unholy power or whatever. She hadn't bothered much with the script but the lines were suddenly running through her head as she watched Bebe pace, about to have a panic attack.

"I'm going to regret this," Yvonne muttered before rising to her feet.

The entire ordeal lasted about twenty minutes. She put on a dress sized for Bebe, meaning it was rather tight in her waist and loose in her chest. She did a quick scan of the lines while she fixed up some quick makeup. Lara passed the door once but didn't bother peeking in. She instead marched towards the stage while Yvonne walked behind her trying to keep low and hidden. She found the entrance she was supposed to enter through and watched as several actors exited the stage, all wearing the costumes she'd helped put on. She got a few odd glances, people who had definitely heard Lara's shouting, knowing Yvonne was bound for elimination in that very moment.

"Take the chance," Yvonne exhaled, knowing full well she had a minuscule chance of turning the perception of the judges around, knowing full well Lara could just tank their team at any moment. But it was too late. The lights shone on her entrance and she stepped out onto stage.

Everything was quiet out there but every eye was piercing into Yvonne with exceptional curiosity. It took the audience a good fifteen seconds to realize that she was replacing the girl who fainted and simply accept it. That curiosity faded into content enjoyment, the engaged eyes she saw at awards shows when she used to win small trinkets for being the best child actor in the business. Per the norm there was a glare, from some other kid who thought they were actually good, the types of people who believed they were all that and a bag of chips. If she'd learnt anything from years of these glares it was that the more jealous and angry the face the worse their true talent was. That entitlement was actually pretty well placed on Lara's face.

The girl had screamed at Yvonne, ripped her sheets off her body, snipped her hair, and done countless horrid things under the guise of control. Lara thought no one would dare stand up to her, especially Yvonne. That face had scared Yvonne day after day but for once she didn't cower in fear, instead she put on a pleasant face, Lara vanished behind the curtain she was acting against. The character of Sir Benjamin who was supposed to be her love interest in the play. All her own venom and hatred dried up as the two approached one another, Benjamin reached out and nearly crushed her fingers in a tight grip. The illusion almost broke but Yvonne was better than any petty movements Lara could bring. The masquerade Lara had been putting on was being torn down in hopes of a loss. Lara wanted them to lose so she could get some kind of sadistic satisfaction from booting Yvonne off the ship.

The only problem was that Lara was facing off against a professional actress and she nearly recoiled when Yvonne let the romantic dialogue flow from her mouth with no traces of anger, not even the slightest bit of addressment of the girl behind the mask. On the set actors were their characters, the good ones anyway, and regardless of how much Lara wanted to muck that up, Yvonne wasn't going to let her. She only let her act drop for a mere moment and that was during a swing when the two switched places. She got a full view of Bebe standing just offstage looking straight at her, with a look of complete astonishment. She wasn't alone back there either. A few other people stared at the mess onstage. A battle of wits, one trying to keep it professional and the other trying to tear the scene down.

It was in that exact moment that Yvonne looked Lara in the eye and spread her mouth into a broad grin. She earned a solitary look of shock before it was over. Yvonne put the character forward so hard, read the lines so perfectly, and moved her body in such a professional way that Lara was caught up in the moment. Her acting jumped up seven notches and she only realized what had happened the second the scene ended and clapping emerged.

Yvonne was that princess and put so much passion in her eyes and voice that it actually drew a blush from Lara. Years of improvised theatre, training, and private lessons had made Yvonne capable of doing such scenes. Yet no one ever saw it, she was just some washed up actress who'd spent two years absent of acting roles. But funnily enough for Yvonne she hadn't just wasted the time away, she'd joined acting classes and been in a few university plays. She wasn't that little kid proud of reading her lines anymore, she had the talent and knowhow to make a star studded actress.

She swayed in the dress, held her hands properly, and slipped further and further into the character with each line spoken. Yvonne figured out how the character ticked in seconds and before long she was swinging back and forth holding Lara's hands and resting against the set woefully. By the time the last line escaped her mouth she'd fixated herself into the character and caused even the judges to stop writing and stare at her performance. The scene was supposed to be where she figured out Benjamin was not a knight but a poor boy after all. She made the realization creep over her face, body language, and speech patterns until it was clear to the audience that she'd gotten it right. Then Benjamin had to wish her a good evening and she would reply the same. Any other actress would have replied in a similar tone but she forced a sudden romantic tone before turning her head, revealing the fear she felt if her father found out. She then walked offstage though her little door while other players walked onstage to replace her.

Lara was back there rather speechless, still sporting a heavy blush and embarrassed tone over said blush but for once Yvonne didn't stop when Lara raised a finger to shout. She simply turned her head halfway through her trot towards Bebe and looked Lara directly in the eye.

"Might want to improve your acting or you might just go home tonight," Yvonne stated with coldness rushing through her vision and right into Lara's body. She then turned her head to the side and trotted away, holding out hands and embracing Bebe, a smile crept over her face as she realized everyone on her team had watched the ordeal. They'd all just seen her upstage Lara.

* * *

After Yvonne's spectacle on the stage the audience was expecting great things from the next scene. A climactic battle between the hero and the villain of the play. A small scene of setup took place before practically every actor in the show walked onto that stage. The finale would take the form of several fights between the knights with Lara's character defeating Liam and Nadie before facing off against Trevor. The only issue with this was that Liam and Nadie were glaring at one another rather than doing what they were supposed to.

The script called for the two to scrutinize Lara but those glares they were shooting at one another were distracting, not only to the players, but to the audience too. Several of the judges began murmuring about it, wondering if perhaps this was part of the play. It could theoretically be a plot point, having Sir Vincent's two cronies begin fighting over the glory only to screw themselves over. Liam and Nadie had been displaying aggression towards one another throughout the play after all so no one really saw it as bizarre unless they knew the script.

Lines began being barked as normal and Trevor made quick work of his side of the tournament as planned. Killing one competitor and brutalizing the other. A final showcase to eliminate any chances of the audience rooting for the man. Jason clapped happily, his character intent on having the money Trevor's character was offering. Lara gave a deadpan delivery in hopes of destroying her team's chances of winning, Jason went on an improvised tirade for no apparent reason, and Yvonne once again slipped so well into character she made the entire play look terrible around her. It almost seemed as though the final rankings had been selected. A lot of the critics were done taking notes, they'd grown accustomed to the performances and what to expect from them. Some of them had even taken to chattering about Yvonne behind the makeup. They were showing genuine interest in her alongside some of the other performances that were filled with passion. Notably Nadie and Liam. To the critics the two were perfect actors that were filling their intended roles.

Perhaps Nadie and Liam would have just acted out the scene passive aggressively if something hadn't fallen onto stage in front of them. Every eye in the theatre blinked in confusion as a letter sailed into the theatre from backstage, thrown by a hidden hand, and skidded to a halt right in front of the duo. No one really got it but those two, it was the same kind of envelope their previous letters had been encased in. Liam stared at Nadie, absolutely certain Frank had found another letter of hers and was passing it out. She likewise thought Frank had discovered another letter from Liam. The fact they both jumped at it only made them more certain it was from the other.

They both snatched it in a ball of spit and rage that began rolling across the stage. Liam's foot smashed into Jason's shin making him cry out in pain while the two tumbled forward knocking over prop bushes, horses, and other decorations as they went. They insulted each other and their insults broke the illusion. Sir Ryan and Sir Christopher calling one another Liam and Nadie respectively immediately shattered the fourth wall as they tore the letter to shreds and fought over the last remaining scraps of it. Nadie's foot tangled with a prop and undid it causing a sandbag to rain down from above and clonk Trevor right in the head while she was flung into the air. The shreds of letter rained down on the audience while she hung there. Liam tried to stand up but tripped over Trevor and fell off the stage right into the orchestra pit.

Booing erupted pretty quickly and the remaining players sat upon the stage trying to stay in character while Trevor was dragged away, Nadie was let down, and Liam was escorted backstage. Helden was quickly thrust onto stage in Trevor's place and he was the most unconvincing villain ever. He giggled, made weird comments, and kept forgetting his lines. Not even an A grade performance by Yvonne could save the final scene. It was just a mess. And most of the other actors and actresses let their steam run out and began giving monotone performances laden with sarcasm. Yvonne swallowed her pride though and acted right alongside them, only making them look worse by her skill and dedication. It was a lost cause and wouldn't earn an award in any sense of the word but she tried anyway.

Lara kept staring at her, urging her to give up but she pressed forward taking the performance to its maximum. Then with a swing Lara had to sweep her off her feet and plant a kiss on her lips. The curtain closed on this and Lara spared no time in dumping Yvonne on the ground. She landed in a heavy heap while shouting from The Calamari erupted backstage. Lara wiped her lips off like she'd just finished vomiting and sniffed once through her nose.

"Not even you could save us from Bebe's performance," Lara muttered with a tone in her voice that told Yvonne she was about to send her home instead of Bebe.

"Maybe I saved us from elimination," Yvonne replied.

"It takes a team to win a challenge moron," Lara replied. "Not a single person."

Yvonne bit her lip at that and lowered her head, reminded too much of Black Hole Brigade. She'd be a beacon of quality in a show of lackluster and amateur performances just like the play they'd just acted out. It made her whimper just a little, almost ready to back down. However, she instead clenched her fist and stood up. She was on her feet in seconds and several weeks of training flowed through her. She'd done hearty runs, learned sets and techniques, and all of it pooled into her body as she drew her fist backwards and proceeded to clock Lara in the face with her clenched fist, perfectly held so she didn't break her knuckles. Just like Julian, her martial arts instructor on Black Hole Brigade, had taught her. Lara recoiled and stumbled backwards behind the closed curtain and Yvonne held herself a little higher. She raised a fist again and much to her shock Lara flinched.

"What do you know?" Yvonne laughed while glancing at her fist. "One person."

* * *

"Terrible show!" Chris exclaimed as he walked on the stage of the now empty theatre. He held papers with their reviews in his hands and was throwing some of them aside while reading others aloud. "too much improvising, deadpan delivery, backstage drama coming onto the stage! Why this would be a show that wouldn't last a week on Broadway… So it's a good thing we're not Broadway. Fights, lights, and a black eye. This is ratings gold!"

Chris' laughter was punctuated by Lara rubbing the shiner she had on her face. Her entire team was staring at her with slightly wide eyed while also staring at Yvonne, absolutely certain she was destined for the lifeboat of losers.

"But my say doesn't win you the challenge," Chris sighed with a shake of his head, "So despite being entertaining, Nadie and Liam's fighting lost The Creepy Calamari their challenge. Hope that letter was worth it."

"Oh, we'll make our cut worth the while," Liam growled while he glared at Nadie.

"Right back at you," Nadie hissed back.

"As for our winner, the decision was rather easy," Chris continued with a shrug. "Trevor made for an intimidating villain and Jason's ad libbing sold his character to much of the audience. But if we're being perfectly honest best actress goes to Yvonne."

"What?!" Lara demanded with a sudden blink.

"Hey, if she can make even your deadpan acting come alive, then she deserves it," Chris replied while holding up a review. "Your team got the lowest marks until she came on the set, and it wasn't Bebe's frozen mumbling that made it that low, miss reading dramatic lines comically."

Lara let loose a small squeak of shock in response.

"Calamari come last, Whales come third, Sharks come second, and for the first time this game The Plankton come first, all thanks to Yvonne giving it her all," Chris concluded before throwing all his papers behind him. "Calamari, I'll see your sorry butts at elimination."

"WE WON!" Diane exclaimed as she jumped to her feet and embraced Zilka. They began screaming and jumping up and down while Bebe shot her arms in the air and promptly fell off her chair. Lara sat in the middle of the group with her eyes quivering and her hands outstretched before her. She could feel Yvonne's stare boring into her body and feel the pats the girl was getting on the back.

"Without me…" Lara whispered in such a quiet tone that only the camera heard her.

* * *

 **The Creepy Calamari**

* * *

Frank flung the door open the second he thought he'd given Louise enough time to get comfortable. The boy was of course slacking off work and seated at a table with letters sprawled in front of him. If there had been any doubts remaining about Louise's involvement in the fight between Nadie and Liam it was washed away by Louise being caught in the act.

Frank spared no time, he rushed forward and snatched the two completed letters off the writing table. The strange thing was that Louise didn't show any resistance and simply stood up and brushed his shirt off like he'd just finished moving something heavy. If anything that pissed Frank off more. Louise was so confident in Nadie and Liam losing it over the letters that he didn't care if he was caught. A smug smile was scrawled over his face while Frank held the two letters out of reach.

"I can't believe you'd turn your own teammates against each other!" Frank shouted as he narrowed his eyes in disappointment and anger.

"Well, that was the plan, get them to lose the challenge, splinter the team, and secure myself a safe spot while the drama tore all my competition down. But there's always more than one way to skin a cat," Louise smirked before his leg shot out and Frank hit the ground hard. He kicked Louise backwards in response and the boy fell way too far to be natural, stumbling back over a chair and knocking it over. The loud thud made feet hurry and suddenly shadows were coating the doorway. The air conditioning blew the letters out of Frank's hand and a half completed letter aimed at Nadie slipped out. Liam bent down to pick it up and stood up in the doorway next to Nadie.

"GUYS!" Frank started but he was interrupted by a loud and exaggerated groan from Louise. The boy pulled himself upwards and rubbed his head.

"I TOLD YOU HE WAS MESSING WITH YOU GUYS!" Louise shouted. Frank blinked and glanced down at the other paper in his hand. The one addressed to Liam had much messier handwriting than any of the other letters, a sweet marriage between Nadie's elegant cursive and Frank's own scrawl. His eyes went wide and he popped to his feet in seconds.

"WHAT?! No! Louise was writing the letters!" Frank exclaimed while pointing at Louise.

"Have you seen his chicken scratch?" Nadie demanded while Liam grabbed Frank's shirt and drew himself in close with a growl growing on his face. Frank was legitimately flinching backwards in response, absolutely certain he was about to meet Liam's fists with his cheeks.

"I'm going to enjoy beating you to a pulp," Liam hissed with a large degree of hatred boiling behind his eyes.

"Not if I cream him first," Nadie argued with a crack of her knuckles.

"Guys, guys, I think you're missing the obvious solution," Louise stated with a wave of his hands. Liam and Nadie exchanged a look and smiled before Liam tossed Frank onto the ground with the letters still in his possession. The two strongest members of the team marched out while Louise crouched down next to Frank with a cocky smile.

"That's what you get for ruining my plan," Louise whispered before rising to his own feet and rubbing his shoe on the carpet like he'd just gotten rid of some gum stuck to the bottom. Frank watched him go with his lips parted and a single blink before the camera cut off him and onto the look of pure annoyance that was sported on Louise's face.

* * *

 **The Putrid Plankton**

* * *

A very distinctive sound caused Lara to pause in her reading and glance at the door to the lounge. She'd been fuming in her room for a while now and was attempting to enjoy the peace and quiet that first class had to offer. She'd changed into clean clothes, eaten something that wasn't embedded with fungus, and wanted to plan her next move. Eliminating Yvonne was at the top of her head and even her reading couldn't take her mind off it. That noise was just making concentrating harder so she got off the bed and began mumbling to herself as she crossed the carpet.

She exited the bedroom and marched down the hallway, passing the open doors of the rooms the other girls had claimed for their own uses. Her room had been the tidiest which spelled out that Roxie had likely inhabited it. The others were willy nilly with their choices and had proven themselves to once again be terrible at reading things. She was about to give them a piece of her mind, tell them that they deserved to be in first class. She'd bury her own failures that day and play down Yvonne's accomplishments. At least she thought so until she stepped into the lounge and felt her jaw nearly hit the floor.

Just that morning everyone had been given a standard issue haircut but suddenly she was staring at heaps of variously coloured locks on the ground while clippers were run over Zilka's hair. The girl's black hair had been trimmed down on the sides leaving the bangs and top long enough to still hold full colour. The bangs had been swept to the side with a number of hair products that had been lying around first class. The hairstyle looked to Lara like one she'd see on a punk with no taste for work. It was spiked up randomly in the back and was a far cry from Zilka's original hair length. She had a smile on her face though.

Bebe had literally shaved the lefthand side of her head and left the right messy and long. It clung to her face in swirls of dyed pink and looked as though it had gone through a touch up. The shaved side had lost any of its pink hue and sported a natural blonde colour that was so faint it nearly blended in with Bebe's skin. Any semblance of control had been handed over and the longer portion had taken on a styling akin to bedhead but filled to the brim with gel.

Diane was the only one who hadn't touched her hair but the clippers in her hand made it clear she was in on the whole thing, though those clippers didn't last in her hands long. They were handed off to Yvonne who turned to Lara and spread her face into a broad grin. Lara however could only stare at Yvonne's head which had been shaved down to a stubble. The brown was so short it looked black and Lara was shocked the girl had gone from long locks that morning to completely bald in the evening.

"Oh hey Lara," Yvonne greeted while Diane began giggling like something was funny.

"What did you do to your hair?!" Lara demanded while taking a step back.

"Well, this morning you told us that our hair was too inefficient," Yvonne replied while Bebe snorted and held her mouth to prevent further noise from escaping, "So I thought, why not take it one step further."

"You went bald," Lara muttered before the clippers were held out, just within reach. Yvonne put on a smile while the other three girls held their breath with wide eyes and grins.

"You always talk about efficiency, so maybe you should join me," Yvonne shrugged while running a hand over her head. "You are the best player here so you have to be the most efficient right?"

"I-" Lara started before glancing at the other three girls who were looking at one another and muttering. Bebe burst into a giggling fit while this happened. Lara trained her eyes back on Yvonne and narrowed them in anger.

"Unless of course… You aren't perfect like you say," Yvonne shrugged, interrupting Lara's thoughts with her words. Her hand held that razor out and Lara quickly curled her lip into a snarl in response. Her eye throbbed from the pain Yvonne had put her through and she could tell she'd already lost the team. They'd all done their hair up in stupid fashions and now expected her to follow their lead. She wasn't going to act like a rebellious brat. She was perfect, she had to act perfect. She put in a hundred and twenty percent no matter what job she was given while losers expected rewards for minimal effort.

Her hand shot out and slapped the razor away while her finger jabbed right at Yvonne and bitterness clung to her lips.

"I'm not going to stoop to your level to win," Lara hissed. "And the teams are splitting apart anyway, we're ten players down as of tonight."

"Are you sure?" Yvonne asked with a cracked eyebrow.

"SHUT UP!" Lara shouted before twisting her body around and walking a few paces away. Her head then turned and she glared at the four remaining girls on her team. Diane blew off work to make snowmen, Bebe was a complete joke, and Zilka had released the bird back in New Zealand. Now they were all standing behind Yvonne, a girl who had thrown her own ally under the bus just to win. Lara blew some hair out of her eyes and turned again, storming out of the room, happy to be done with all the girls.

* * *

"…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

… Louise," Chris called out as the final safety symbol fell into Louise's outstretched hands, not that it was at all surprising to Frank. He didn't even give the boy the satisfaction of a look of shock. Frank only had one goal on his mind and that was to be proven right eventually. He rose to his feet and looked over his team with half closed eyes. He'd accepted his position as number thirty one in the competition, and in all honesty that was pretty good. He'd outlasted nine people and had a little fun, at the very least he wouldn't have to slave away on the cruise ship in an attempt to win a million dollars anymore. That part wasn't fun and he was glad it was over.

"Make sure to quote me when you realize Louise is actually the bad guy here," Frank lamented, though his teammates were clearly taking it as a last ditch effort to upstage a player they were currently seeing as an angel. They weren't dumb, just misled, and Frank was sure the second the teams merged Louise would be outed rather quickly by a smarter player, he wanted to watch that event happen with a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Your chariot awaits," Chris called, beckoning Frank to one of the life boats.

Frank had seen teammates climb into the lifeboats but getting into one himself was a very different situation. Mostly because he'd actually bothered to pack his bags, and take as many things from the ship minibars as he could. Compensation in his mind for the free labour he'd been giving Chris for the last few days. If the host tried to argue he'd just bring up the time he had to lotion an old lady's back.

"This show panders to general audiences anyway," Frank scoffed as his final comment before he was released into the water below. He landed with a splash that made a smile crawl onto Louise's face. The boy quickly hid his expression though and joined his team in departing the elimination area.

* * *

A massive mess was always present on the deck of the _S.S McLean_ when the day ended. One unlucky team would always be put in charge of cleaning it up and that team happened to be The Whimsical Whales that evening. While Stephen mopped the ground and Elsa collected the last of the dishes Wilma found herself stuffing inflatable pool toys into the supply closet. The place was a mess and proved to be one of the worst places to get tangled up in as Wilma quickly discovered.

It was incredibly windy that evening and while Wilma got tangled in inflatable tubes and floaties the wind caught the door and dislodged the wedge keeping it in place. In a single instant she was stuck in the darkness and fumbling around. She bumped into a big bin of something and spilled plastic balls everywhere. She floundered back and forth for a few seconds before tripping into the door. She swore to herself and felt around the frame until she found the doorknob. A quick wiggle was all it took to reveal that it was locked. She wiggled it more before beginning to hammer on the door.

"HEY! LET ME OUT!" Wilma shouted in complete desperation and worry. Half her team had already vacated the deck and the last thing she wanted was to get trapped in the room overnight. Thankfully, people rushed the door and it was quickly opened, spilling her and sports equipment all over the ground. Wilma swore again as she kicked a ducky tube off her leg and rose to her feet. Stephen and Elsa stared at her for a few seconds while she picked up the mess she'd left. The second it was done she let the door close and let out a sigh.

"I'd hate to be trapped in there for a long time," Wilma laughed as the three of them stowed the cleaning supplies. Laughter spilled out of their mouths as they descended the deck towards the rest of the ship.

"Can you even imagine," Stephen replied as the trio walked away. They didn't know it but the editor chose to specifically hold on the door until it got ominous. Almost like imagining someone trapped behind it wasn't required at all.


	11. Skeletons in the Closet

It was a blindingly bright morning on the deck of the _S.S. McLean_ ,and for the first time that competition Lara was able to relax on it. She'd never been on a cruise ship, but floating through the waters of The Indian Ocean proved to be a relatively nice experience. The salty seabreeze, hot sun, and lapping of waves around her was a brand new experience. Music played from overhead speakers but she had drowned that out ages ago and was engrossed in the book she'd brought with her. She was just pleased to get off her feet seeing as the night prior had been spent doing some much needed beautification. She'd sheared her legs clean of hair, chiseled off the calluses on her heels, and gotten those pesky hairs ripped off her upper lip.

Now was the time for some much needed sunlight and she'd pulled out the deep green bikini she'd packed in hopes of sun and sand. The bright rays were hitting her skin and emboldening her freckles, she was just like her mom, she didn't tan, she freckled. They'd popped back into existence on her shoulders, thighs, and arms bringing back that childish glow she'd been hoping for. The only thing missing was a refill on her drink.

She had filled cups for members of every other team, but for some reason The Creepy Calamari servers were about as efficient as children in an office building. It wasn't just her either. Lucile and Liam had been all over the deck minutes ago but had both vanished for no apparent reason. The fact that her first day off in ten days was being marred by poor customer service was just appalling. It had gotten to the point where some of the passengers were approaching her and asking for refills. They knew she was a contestant and they knew she was good at her job, the only problem was that she wasn't in the mood for working.

"I'll go find them, chew them out for slacking," Lara chuckled as she stood up. She didn't really have an option when it came to passengers, they'd remember her brushing them off and she wanted her new team to get that bonus when the challenge started. Finding Liam in that moment would help her standing, so she clapped her book shut and rose to her feet, crossing the deck and glancing left and right for signs of the Calamari players.

They weren't at the smoothie bar, they weren't on the elimination deck, and to make matters worse they weren't even visible to any off the passengers. Lara was coming up with dead ends until she was walking past the rear supply closet, the one that smelled like chlorine and mold due to the pool toys being shoved in there every night. There was noise coming from the inside and it didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on. Lara let out an exasperated sigh and placed a hand on the knob before flinging the door open.

Light washed over Lucile and Liam who happened to be locked in an embrace about two millimeters from macking face. All this taking place while they were on duty in a musty supply closet. They both stared at Lara in surprise for about three seconds before meeting lips and just making out in front of her like she might leave. Lara swept her eyes back and forth twice before sighing and grabbing both their arms and peeling them apart.

"Table six needs refills," Lara ordered while staring down Lucile. The blonde ran a hand over her lips and gave a short girlish giggle like she was proud of what she'd done before hurrying away with a clear blush on her cheeks. Liam was about to follow her when Lara shoved a finger into his chest and bumped him back into the closet. She took a step in after him and stared deep into his eyes with annoyance in her own. "Oh there is no way I'm letting you two go out there at the same time, you can wait here until she's gotten back to work!"

Lara took another step as she said this, the wind caught the door, and said door slammed shut behind her. A loud thud coursed through the nearly empty storage closet as they were bathed in complete darkness. Lara blinked once before a flame flicked to life beside her courtesy of a tiny lighter in Liam's hand.

"Yeah, that makes things so much better," Lara sarcastically grumbled before Liam handed her a second lighter. He didn't smell like cigarettes, so she had no idea why he owned the things. She fumbled with the light, trying to figure out how it worked while Liam approached the door and wiggled the doorknob half-heartedly.

"Door's locked," Liam shrugged.

"No it isn't you moron," Lara responded before shoving Liam away from the door. She rattled the doorknob, strained to the left, pried it to the right, and then gave up and kicked the bottom of the door.

"Told you," was Liam's response. Lara glared at him angrily before hammering on the door. She began tapping her foot impatiently while the lighter light flickered back and forth bathing both of them in faint orange colours. Lara hammered on the door again and when no response came she began swearing and kicking it over and over again like it just might open.

Liam watched this unfold with amusement on his face and didn't even bother to help her. It was only when Lara had screamed profanities sixty or so times that a response came.

"Who's there?!" A bratty and childish voice responded. Lara immediately broke into annoyed growling the second she realized who it belonged to.

"Open the door Johnny," Lara ordered while trying to peer through the side of the door. She heard two giggles in response and immediately knew both Richardson Boys were out there.

"You didn't say please," Johnny replied with a laugh. Lara's response was to rattle the doorknob and shout at the kid.

"We just have to wait for Lucile to get back," Liam stated rather boldly.

"Hey, have you kids seen the guy on my team with messy hair and that bossy witch from The Green team?' Lucile's voice piped up the second Liam spoke.

"They went that way," Johnny Richardson stated before both boys began shouting like they were play fighting, drowning out the sound of both Lara and Liam losing their minds at the brats. Outside the closet Lucile gave a short shrug and walked away while the Richardson boys high fived.

"I'm stuck in a closet," Liam muttered the second he knew Lucile was gone. His eyes drifted over to Lara and his face shrunk a little more, "With you..."

"WHY YOU SON OF A-!" Lara screamed as she reared her arm back.

* * *

 **Total Drama Ocean Cruise**

 **Chapter XI: Skeletons in the Closet**

 **Written by The Firebending Frog**

* * *

Natalie's lips pressed hard against the whistle and she blew it as hard as she could. It didn't matter though as the twelve year old in a one piece blew a raspberry in response and proceeded the hit an elderly woman with a pool noodle. Natalie gave a groan the second this happened and made her way off the lifeguard chair and over to the brat. The old woman was ordering the child to stop and Natalie managed to just catch the pool noodle with her hand before things got out of hand. She quickly yanked it from the girl and held it out of reach.

The brat immediately put on a fake cry, Natalie could tell because she was an expert and faking those, and waded to the edge of the pool. She then climbed out and hurried over to her mother, clinging onto the woman with a tight hug and crying out about the mean lifeguard. Natalie immediately knew what was coming, she could just tell by looking at the woman's appearance. She had one of those faces that had likely been beautiful when she was in high school but perpetual frowning had caused her first wrinkles to make her look ten years older. She had hair dyed like a teenager and a body that had clearly been through a series of rough diets. She didn't exactly seem like the active type either, the kind of woman who complained about her weight while she sat on a couch chomping away on junk food and writing angry reports to her children's teachers.

"HOW DARE YOU!" The woman shouted and Natalie had all her thoughts confirmed. The voice was the type of that liked to scream for the children to come to dinner rather than actually physically finding them. She a prime example of a woman who had peaked in high school and spent her days wishing to be back there.

She was a smoker too, that detail was made pungently clear when she began breathing in the same space as Natalie. Yelling about how nasty the lifeguard was only to have the old lady in the pool interrupt. Almost instantly Natalie was caught between two fighting woman and wanting desperately to leave. It wasn't helping that the bratty girl had grabbed another pool noodle, emboldened by her mother's lack of punishment, and begun hitting other people by the pool with it. Natalie blew her whistle only to have it grabbed by the mother and hurled across the deck. Natalie glared at the woman who scrawled a big fat zero on an evaluation form. Natalie rolled her eyes in response and marched across the deck to where the whistle had landed.

She bent down to grab it but had it picked up by Johnny Richardson. She quickly rose to her full height but it was already too late. His brother had grabbed the back of her swimsuit and shoved a water balloon down the bikini bottom before she could even react. She spun around to nab the kid only to have Johnny pop the thing right against the skin of her rump. Water surged down her legs and onto her sandals while a sharp sting rang through her rear. Both boys grinned at her while she put on a false chuckle.

"Hardie har," Natalie growled while snagging her whistle back.

"There are people stuck in the closet over there," Frank stated while pointing at the rear closet not far away.

"We need to get a sign," Natalie sighed while dragging a hand down her face in exasperation. She spared no time in marching over to the supply closet and flinging it open, expecting some old guy she'd have to chew out about not entering staff areas. Instead light cast over Liam and Lara, nearly blinding them while Natalie blinked in surprise. She then had her whistle snatched by Frankie Richardson while Johnny shoved her. She stumbled into the closet and turned around giving a quick, "Wait!" as she turned.

Her words were lost as the door slammed shut seconds later and the sound of a whistle blowing filled the air growing more and more distant by the second. Natalie wiggled the doorknob and kicked the door before sighing and turning around. Faint light shone from a lighter in Liam's hand while Lara attempted to light one in her hand. Natalie just looked back and forth between the two and brought her hand up to her chin, nodding as she moved.

She could see it, a punk like Liam and a uptight stick in the mud like Lara. It was probably Lara in the end, wanting to escape her status as the perfect employee. Let loose a little, make out with some bad boys, she got it. She'd locked herself away with several ruffians in the past to kiss and do a few nastier things. The only mystery was why Liam was there, did he really like snooty girls? Maybe he was intent on breaking her, Natalie knew that kind of stuff worked first hand.

"Ooh, wait until Stephen and Erin hear about this," Natalie chuckled with a knowing look crossing from Liam to Lara. Both of her closetmates stared at her blankly before their eyes gravitated towards one another and a look of disgust erupted over their faces.

"NO!" Lara exclaimed while waving her hands in a desperate gesture.

"Not happening," Liam added while stumbling backwards and knocking over a few inflatable ducks.

"I would rather die!" Lara shouted, causing Liam to pause.

"Really?" Liam asked in all seriousness causing Lara to pause and waver her head back and forth.

"I mean… If I were desperate…" Lara trailed.

* * *

A beautiful sea breeze rushed over the deck catching Raina's hair as it blew. Unfortunately she couldn't quite take after Phoebe, who had decided to hold her arms out and inhale deeply. A look of pure enjoyment spread over her face as the shoreline of whatever country they were near grew closer and closer by the second. Raina could only watch it while a gripping cold rushed over her, as chilling as the Antarctic winds. The remnants of her black eye and scratches began to sting as Bryce's last words to her flowed through her mind reminding her of what she did and what she was doing.

"Let loose a little!" Phoebe chuckled while batting her hand against Raina's shoulder and dragging her out of the think spot she'd been locked in.

"Uh… Yeah!" Raina replied with a forced smile that Phoebe definitely noticed.

"I think I know what's on your mind," Phoebe grinned as she thrust the mop she was holding right into the mop bucket and causing it to overflow.

"You do…" Raina mumbled with a quivering in her eyes.

"You're thinking about Warren!" Phoebe exclaimed causing Raina to stiffen up and recoil for a second.

"UM! WHAT?! SORRY!" Raina rambled before Phoebe shushed her and slung an arm around her shoulder.

"Come on Raina! You're team captain, just go up to him and get what you want! Be confident, be strong, and be yourself!" Phoebe explained while Raina swallowed her nerves.

"Yeah… Be… Be myself…" Raina trailed while staring down at her hand where her fingers were slowly curling into a fist. She stared at it for a few seconds before glancing up at Phoebe while biting her lip, "Phoebe… There's something I should tell you… Something that… Well you see… I… Um…"

Phoebe watched Raina ramble while leaning on her broom. Her eyes were filled with life and pleasantness, it was the kind of look she'd given Raina before whenever they sat down to talk. They'd talked a lot, and probably would have talked more if Raina didn't have a weight on her chest. Phoebe was so strong, relaxed, and sure of herself, Raina wasn't sure how she'd react to the truth but she felt like she deserved to know, especially now that Bryce was gone. She wanted their next meeting in the first class hot tub to be completely honest, the weight would be off her chest and she could finally be her total self without any stress in her mind.

"I-" Raina started before being cut off by an ear piercing shriek from a whistle. Both Raina and Phoebe covered their ears and looked over to where Johnny Richardson was blowing on a whistle as hard as possible. He and his brother had caused so much trouble on their short stay on the cruise ship that their parents were one of the programmed numbers on the phones. Thankfully, Phoebe had a better resistance to sound than Raina because she marched over and swiped the whistle from the boy.

"Where did you get this?" Phoebe demanded while Johnny put on an innocent face.

"The life guard gave it to me," He replied innocently while Phoebe stared down at him.

"She wouldn't give us a duck!" Frank Richardson shouted.

"WE WANT A DUCK!" The boys chanted while Phoebe rolled her eyes.

"Fine," Phoebe smiled while pocketing the whistle.

"You're actually going to help them," Raina muttered while shaking her head.

"Hey I love kids," Phoebe shrugged. "When I get married I'll have like seven."

"Seven kids?" Raina asked with a slight laugh.

"Hey, I'll see you at the challenge, talk to Warren!" Phoebe exclaimed while pointing at Raina. She was being dragged away by the boys at the same time so she had to pull back a little. "I want to see you two kissing and planning your own kids by tonight!"

"Seven of em?" Raina asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh no, you need nine," Phoebe replied with a laugh before the boys won over her grip and dragged her along. She made sure not to yell at them or berate them. They just wanted a pool toy and were probably being ignored by Natalie, something that wasn't hard to imagine. She let them lead her along the edge of the ship towards the rear deck. They stopped at the storage closet next to the one they voted in and pointed at it. Phoebe dug into her pocket, drawing out the ship keys she'd been given when they started janitoring that morning. She felt the knob and found it unlocked. She immediately swung the door open to find Lara, Natalie, and Liam seated in a circle around a trio of lighters. Confusion ran over her face before Johnny grabbed the whistle, Frank grabbed her keys, and both of them gave her shove. She stumbled forward and the door slammed behind her. She turned and felt the knob once the echo had subsided and found it locked, likely broken.

Rattling it was useless and kicking the door was pointless so she just turned to stare at the other defeated faces in the closet.

"Maybe I only want five kids," Phoebe sighed before approaching them.

* * *

When the Richardson boys ran by Raina without a duck floatie, Phoebe, or supervision she called out for them. They didn't stop though, likely not hearing her over the blowing of a whistle and the jangle of keys. Raina was about to pursue when the speaker system crackled to life. It popped and snapped until Raina covered her ears and only in that second did Chris begin speaking.

"Passengers prepare for arrival in India," Chris announced before clearing his throat. "As for our competitors we'll need you in storage room six, we're applying body armour. You can just stress out until I reveal why."

With that being said Chris hung up and Raina bit her cheek worriedly. She grabbed her mop bucket and mop before approaching the janitorial closet. She stowed the cleaning supplies before beginning to scour the deck for Phoebe. Passengers were walking back to their rooms to prepare for their various excursions while players from every team hurried down the stairs, not wanting last dibs on any type of body armour. Phoebe was nowhere to be seen so Raina assumed that she had also hurried down the stairs. She gave a solitary shrug, just out of hearing range of the closet door being pounded on, and scurried down the steps towards storage room six.

Inside the closet the four trapped players were hammering desperately on the door in hopes of release. It was in vain though, as everyone else on the ship had vacated the deck and the only soul for meters, a solitary intern, had rolled his eyes when walking past the closet.

"Great, the teams will merge and we'll all be on the bad one," Lara lamented the second they'd given up.

"Excuse me?" Phoebe demanded in response.

"Have you even noticed who you're locked in here with?!" Liam added.

"I dunno being on a team with you doesn't sound too bad," Natalie replied while scratching her chin and drawing confused gazes from the other two. "There'd be so much drama…"

The Drama Natalie was enjoying though quickly faded and all four players sat on the ground around the lighters in absolute silence. They could hear the wind outside the door and a pipe overhead was dripping water somewhere. Mustiness clung to their noses and the tile floor was anything but comfortable. Natalie tapped her chin in boredom, Liam looked around at all the shadowed pool supplies, and Lara got so impatient she began pacing in front of the door. Time was at a standstill and numerous sighs were given before Phoebe began popping her lips and humming something to herself.

Natalie's hands scratched against the ground, Liam flicked a fourth lighter on and off in a rhythmic fashion, and Lara took to tapping her foot against the floor making an echoing clicking sound with her toe. Phoebe coughed before beginning to quietly mumble out the lyrics to Daniel Caster's _Hunted Love_ while Liam rotated his left arm to alleviate some stiffness. Lara took to banging her head on the door before someone actually spoke and everyone wished she hadn't the second she did.

"I'm so boooooooored!" Natalie whined while rotating her head from left to right, her eyes fell on Phoebe and a sigh escaped through her nose. "Phoebe, kiss Liam so Lara gets jealous."

"What?!" Phoebe asked in shock while gazing at Lara and Liam.

"We. Are. Not. Dating!" Lara exclaimed, moving her hands for every word she spoke

"Don't have to date to do stuff," Natalie shrugged.

"True that," Phoebe nodded, earning a roar of annoyance from Lara.

"I have some drama," Liam stated with a motion to himself, drawing the eyes of all three girls as he spoke, "It's the reason Nadie and I were fighting yesterday. You see, Frank had forged letters to the both of us-"

"I would rather die than listen to the rest of that," Natalie stated in a dry tone. "I want something insane, something crazy, and something I don't know about already…"

"You know about Frank?" Liam asked with a blink. "How?"

"A girl has her secrets…" Natalie smirked after checking her nails.

"You want to hear crazy?" Phoebe asked with a smile igniting on her face, "I'll tell you a story, a story I call…

* * *

 **EXACT CHANGE**

* * *

It all began in the gift shop after we'd lost the Antarctic challenge. With Bryce gone our numbers had slipped downwards, meaning we had to stretch a bit thinner while working. So instead of working the gift shop with Bryce I ended up working it with Roxie, and boy was that an experience.

Roxie is a perfectionist when it comes to numbers so I left her at the register knowing she couldn't possibly make a mistake, and I was right about that. While I put clothes back on the racks and dealt with kids trying to shoplift, Roxie crunched the numbers of each customer's purchase before they even reached the register, often suggesting they use certain combinations of coins and bills to get more rounded change. All of this went perfectly smooth until a man wearing the ugliest Hawaiian shirt I had ever seen in my life entered the store. He just wanted sunscreen and was pretty easy to handle compared to some of the ignoramuses' we'd dealt with before. To top it all off he paid for his lotion with a solid bill and smiled right at Roxie before leaving without his change. She only noticed this when he had departed already, I think one of the coins was filthy and she felt the need to shine it up.

Anyway, she looked up and found the guy was gone. She turned to me in panic and began waving the two dollars and sixty five cents in the air while shouting complete panicked nonsense. It was a tip, and in that moment I realized Roxie had never worked retail before. It was the weirdest reaction I had ever seen in my life, most people are pleased to get money, those loose coins were a prize for excellent service and I'd already collected seventeen dollars from similar transactions in the past, but Roxie was acting like the change was burning her. As if she might fall to the ground and start writhing in pain at the mere touch of the cool metal.

I tried to explain what it was to her but she was absolutely adamant the man had accidentally forgotten it and had taken it as her sworn duty to return it. So she abandoned her post to go find him and left me alone in the store. The only issue with that was you needed two people in that shop at all times, it said so on the board behind the counter. There's that ugly picture of Chris frowning at you stating you are never to run the store alone. So I gave chase but had to quickly turn back and lock the doors because Roxie had escaped my vision.

I ran through the maze of hallways, bypassing all sorts of passengers who had been shoved aside in a desperate attempt to get past. Thankfully, finding Roxie's trail was easy seeing as she has this habit of straightening everything as she walks down the halls. She'd put all the paintings straight without tools, somehow plucked the dead flower heads off the arrangements, and had even torn a man's shirt off, spilling change on him to go buy a new one while she cleaned the old one. She returned it too, last night she folded it up and returned it to the guy without even knowing his room number.

I knew where her mind was headed so I burst onto the top deck searching for any signs of that guy in the ugly Hawaiian shirt. I tried my best to recall what he looked like but nothing else came to mind beyond the fact he was overweight, a trait shared by a multitude of our passengers. Now I'm not used to wearing my uniform seeing as I've only had to wear it a select few times so I wasn't prepared for what happened as I crossed that deck looking for Roxie.

A woman in a skimpy bathing suit demanded a beverage, kids handed me dirty plates, and demands were given for stuff from this very supply closet. I wanted to decline but I was handed so many dishes I had to run them back to the bar. Then I had to return over and over again suddenly becoming a waitress with no warning. I don't even have training in such a field so I had no idea how to stack things and kept dropping forks, knives, and napkins. I even got some lady's drink spilled down the front of my shirt, a stain that won't be cleaned off until my team wins again.

In all this I lost Roxie, unsure as to where she'd gone and if she'd managed to accomplish her goal. I had to assume she had, so I made a break for the gift shop only to grind to a halt as I passed a window. Hanging down outside was a series of blankets, towels, and whatever you can imagine knotted together and flung over the side of the ship. It was those knots, I somehow knew they were from Roxie and I was even more certain something would give, a good instinct on my part because the second I reached the railing a knot gave way and I was holding a towel for dear life with Roxie's weight on the edge. She was several stories down near one of the lower windows. A simple porthole that she peered into with a grin. I called out to her and she just gave me a thumbs up, cleaned the window off with her shirt until it was sparkling, and proceeded to smash the glass and hand change to the man inside.

When I lugged her up to the deck again she had a prideful look on her face as if she'd accomplished something great. I just yelled at her about how dangerous being that close to the water had been. She didn't hear me though and we just walked back to the gift shop to resume work. I ran the register after that, certain she would do something reckless again if she got any type of tip. Ironically I ended up cleaning the guy's room that evening, and lying next to his bed as a tip for housecleaning was two dollars and sixty five cents.

* * *

"Oh yeah, that is totally dramatic," Natalie muttered in a tone saturated with sarcasm. She'd spent the entire story resting her face against her chin as if she'd heard of this before. Not even the part about Roxie hanging out a window had managed to entertain her. This made Phoebe frown a little, unsure of exactly what Natalie was looking for.

Liam seemed to enjoy the story, chuckling about the absurd lengths Roxie had gone to and seeming to have a good deal of fun. To be fair though, he seemed to be the least bothered of the group, seemingly lacking any care whatsoever about missing a challenge and potentially being put up for elimination. His team did have cannon fodder on it though, at least Phoebe could tell that.

Lara meanwhile looked absolutely peeved, also nervous, and a little upset. Phoebe could make out water in her eyes, almost like she'd been staring off into space during the story and trying her hardest not to burst into tears. She clearly disliked the whole storytelling fiasco but she was only one person in the room and at least Pheobe had Liam's attention.

"Oh man, if you think that's bad you should hear about some of the garbage we've had to put up with throughout this contest," Liam chuckled while ruffling the back of his hair. "Everyone's hated us since day one, we've been screamed at, beaten with handbags, and even cursed."

"Cursed?" Phoebe asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Curses aren't real, stupid," Lara muttered from Liam's left.

"So tell me Liam, how exactly did your team get… cursed?" Phoebe asked with her best spooky voice. She held her hands aloft as she spoke and wiggled every finger while saying so. The entire motion earned a chuckle from the Calamari player and he smoothed down his hair the second it was asked.

"Well it all started with an old lady," Liam smirked while casting his gaze over his fellow trapees, "It's a story I like to call…

* * *

 **Politeness**

* * *

We'd been cleaning the hallways all evening when it happened. It was dark out, most passengers had gone to bed, and we were in a foul mood after losing the Hawaiian challenge. Dinner service had been a bust and I was especially mad at Nadie and Stewart due to their poor service at dinner. I wasn't in the mood for anything and that's why I snapped at this old lady when she came around the corner demanding her bed be remade because a corner was loose.

I turned to face her and found the most hideous hag I had seen in my life, shrivelled and wrinkled skin, warts erupting from her hands and face, and straggly white hair that made me want to vomit. I immediately recoiled at the sheer ugliness of the witch and told her the bed making wasn't my department.

"You should have more appreciation for your elders," She croaked before threatening a poor review. So I marched into her room and remade the bed for her while muttering the entire time. I thought that would be the end of it but she stopped me at the door and decided to give me lip about my attitude claiming I could use a better one. Normally I wouldn't tell an old lady to shove it, but I did and the door was slammed in my face, I got a zero on my review card, and finished my hallway per the norm.

Everything seemed pretty normal when I went to bed, but it was when I woke up that things got really weird. I opened my eyes in the morning and was in a good mood. I have no idea where it came from, I didn't even know how to react. I found myself greeting my entire team with pleasantries and helping Frank up when he tripped. Dude should have gotten berated but instead I just smiled. I knew something was wrong in that instant because extreme positivity seemed to be leeching into my speech, corrupting my thoughts as they transferred from my brain into my mouth. I wanted to scream, shout, and get angry, but all that came out were compliments and smart greetings.

I grinned while on deck, spoke in a chipper attitude, and actually complimented Lucile's clothing. Every guy knows girls don't go after guys like that, they like bad boys and there I was acting like a choir boy. I was cursed with a positive attitude and didn't know how long it would last or how to get rid of it. The girls definitely knew something was wrong with me during the challenge in New Zealand and you know Kiara, that sweet little redhead with a camera around her neck and brightly coloured scrapbooks. Yeah she is not what she seems at all. She deduced something was wrong with me and after we finished the New Zealand challenge she collected a bunch of spices and rocks before leading me and Lucile to one of the storage rooms.

Let me tell you, that girl can pull off black like you wouldn't believe, she put on a pitch black hoodie that was too big for her and read from a book her sister had given her, I meanwhile looked through her scrapbooks while they prepared what I think was a spell. And let me tell you, Kiara's sister is an absolute bombshell. Like ten out of ten on the scale of hotness. She's like a super goth chick into witchcraft and all that stuff and she literally looks like Kiara with fifteen pounds of eyeshadow and three extra years under her belt. There are all these pictures of the two of them hanging out and I'm ninety percent sure that chick is a witch.

Anyway the other two were doing something weird with all those spices and before I knew it was being told to eat this thing, I think it mostly comprised of garlic which kind of rooted out the possibility of Kiara's family being consistent of vampires, which would be cool. I don't judge if someone's an undead supernatural monster, only if they're hot, and the ladies in Kiara's family definitely fall into that category.

After that I had the worst sleep in my life, I kept waking up to use the bathroom and my throat was like, perpetually dry despite the fact I was guzzling water. But lo and behold the curse was lifted the very next morning when I woke up, back to my foul mooded self, ready to go spray paint a wall or set something on fire. I thanked my team witch and she just stared at me in confusion in response, likely forgetting she had cured me under the guise of her supernatural muse.

Done with my curse I ventured onto deck and encountered that hag again. She shouted at me again about my foul attitude but I knew her spells would have no effect on me, so I ignored her irritating personality and continued to serve the actually decent customers who didn't demand outrageous things from me, also they happened to be The Smiths and they have a teenage daughter who is like a nine out of ten on the hotness scale, so I had to give good service.

* * *

"I thought you were into Lucile," Lara muttered the second Liam had finished his story.

"Hah, I'm not attracted to every brooding girl," Liam chuckled in response before holding his hand close to his head. "Country girls also tickle my fancy, and Lucile is a definite eleven out of ten."

"Didn't know you were so girl crazy," Phoebe muttered.

"What can I say, I have girls on my mind…" Liam replied before turning to look at Lara with complete deadpan in his face.

"You were making out with her on shift you moron," Lara sneered in response before closing her eyes. "And besides, you weren't cursed, you just got a good night's sleep, Kiara isn't a witch, she's just a really bad cook, and somehow I believed you were smart enough to realize that."

"Keep talking like that and you'll be stricken down by evil forces!" Liam exclaimed with a sense of pure belief in his voice. "The supernatural is no joke despite what science tries to teach you."

"There's only one evil force on this ship and that force is Yvonne," Lara announced while pointing at herself. "Just because you have a thing for moody girls who dot their faces with glittering piercings and eye shadow doesn't make everything horror related real. If you believe in that garbage you must be a complete moron."

"I'm top of my class," Liam bragged in response. "Which is saying a lot considering the school I attend."

"Veron Prep?" Natalie asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Isn't that the school that enters some genius in national spelling bees every year that makes everyone look bad?" Phoebe asked in a tone that hinted a personal experience.

"You think I go to Veron Prep?" Liam laughed in the most unconvincing manner possible. "Pssh, as if. That school is attended by millionaires and geniuses, I'm neither of those things."

"Your mom is the headmistress," Natalie replied in deadpan.

"WHAT?! HOW DID YOU-" Liam started before Lara cut him off.

"As I was saying, supernatural evil doesn't exist," Lara stated while pointing at herself. "I'll tell you about true evil in a story I like to call…

* * *

 **Worst Actress**

* * *

It was yesterday, when the challenge started that I realized I'd made a grave mistake when it came to eliminations. Sophie hated my guts and Anne was devoted, but those two had nothing on the pure evil I faced backstage that day. I realized Yvonne should have been the one to go home when I first announced my casting choices. In a flash Yvonne was on me with fiery eyes and shadowed disposition. I know she may seem normal from a distance, but up close you realize her personality is like that of a corpse filled with worms.

"YOU MUST CAST ME!" She shouted while a fist was delivered to my chest. Yvonne was throwing a temper tantrum like I hadn't seen before, threatening me and calling me out on behaviour I didn't have. It was expected from a spoiled brat of an actress. I don't think anyone's ever told her no, and I don't think she's had to do an honest day's work in her life.

I tried to calm her down in my sweetest tones but she was having none of it. I thought perhaps it was over though, at least until after Bebe's first scene. The girl was so shaken she was sweating and Yvonne immediately sprang upon her trying to get her to drop out so she could take up an acting role. I however, intervened and stopped her from persuading my ally. Because of this Yvonne began threatening violence, and I could tell she was being serious, not that she had to hit me to hurt me. Bebe fainted during the next scene and all because Yvonne was giving her stage fright, blowing up how scary the audience could be.

Thinking she'd won, she cockily proclaimed that she would replace Bebe, I however, saw right through her ruse, Bebe was fine and perfectly capable of acting, she'd just had her symptoms overblown. I fought back and told Bebe to come back onstage knowing full well she'd succeed. But to my dismay, instead of my bubbly teammate, Yvonne appeared onset dressed in Bebe's clothes and reading Bebe's lines. I was angry, no, I was livid. How could Yvonne steal the spotlight from a player who hasn't really received much in the first place? It's the actress in her I say, constantly wanting to be the center of attention.

To make matters worse she was purposefully upstaging everyone and bringing the whole play down with her overacting and sly remarks. She kept shooting me these evil looks that broke me out of my character and caused my illusion to fall. The worst part was she knew how to pander to critics and critics only. The general audience hated her, it was those highbrow idiots who ranked us that gave her the win, inflating her already massive ego to a supersize. So big in fact, that after she won the challenge she proclaimed she didn't need me anymore and proceeded to hit me. The worst part was that my team bought it too. They turned on me, forgetting how I dragged them through every challenge up to that point and the only reason I failed was because Yvonne had to go out of her way to pull me out of my element.

So I warn you guys, after we're released and our new teams are crafted I warn you to be wary of Yvonne. She seems nice enough, but give her a chance and you'll be begging for mercy…

* * *

Lara had been expecting some form of sympathy from her closetmates, but Liam just coughed and Phoebe scratched the back of her head. They were clearly not buying a single thing she said and it made her eye nearly twitch. She was about to be put on a better team than The Pathetic Plankton and needed allies to make a good impression. It was very likely the four of them would be shuffled onto the losing team and she needed to get them in her corner. If she could just survive that first elimination, Liam and Phoebe would be enough to pull her towards a win.

"None of you know anything about drama," Natalie sighed while shaking her head, "You need to reveal secrets to players, secrets they don't know about, or at least didn't want getting out."

"And yet you fail to be entertained by my inner team drama," Lara responded while standing up and stretching. They'd been cramped in the closet for well over two hours by that point and she was starting to get stiff.

"Plus you didn't find my Roxie story exciting," Phoebe added while crossing her arms.

"Yeah! What gives! How come you act like you know things we don't?!" Liam demanded causing Natalie to chuckle and grow an exceptionally wide grin.

"I may or may not have discovered the security room and been raiding it for information," Natalie shrugged causing all three other players to blink.

"How did you find that?" Phoebe demanded in a disbelieving tone.

"How I found it doesn't matter, nor does the fact I have all this information, what really matters is that I know things you guys would all kill to know," Natalie smiled before staring directly at Phoebe. "Sure I know little stuff like the fact that you own a dog named Scruffy who's a cross between a corgi and a husky, but I also know that you recently decided you found boys just as attractive as girls.."

"You're a lesbian?" Lara demanded while staring right at Phoebe.

"Used to be… It was just a phase for me, okay…" Phoebe muttered while scratching her arm, her eyes contorted into a glare and she stared at Natalie angrily. "I only revealed that in a confessional-"

"Relax, stuff like that isn't going to effect the game in a big way," Natalie stated with a brush of her hair. "But trust me, that's small beans compared to what I know…"

"And what do you know?" Liam demanded while staring down Natalie.

"Well I know your upfront personality is just an act, most of the year you're in uniform and trying to impress your mommy," Natalie smiled while her voice came out in a mocking tone. "But a more dramatic reveal is that you got the wrong guy last night."

"Wrong guy?!" Liam demanded in near shock.

"Oh yeah, Frank was framed, but by who I won't tell, you'll have to ask around," Natalie grinned before swiping her vision to Lara. "And Lara dear, every player on every other team is praying they don't end up paired with you…"

"WHAT?!" Lara shouted while springing to her feet. "YOU TAKE THAT BACK YOU LYING LITTLE MINX!"

"Oh and Phoebe…" Natalie trailed while staring right into Phoebe's eye. The blonde had a distant look to her, past worry already and seeming to accept something. Her fists were clenched and her teeth were grit. All she needed was confirmation.

"Tell me then," Phoebe muttered with an air of dry seriousness that caused Lara to stop shouting and drew Liam's attention.

"Tell you what?" Natalie asked with a bright smile crossing her face.

"Tell me that…" Phoebe trailed before hardening her resolve and clenching her eyes closed. "Tell me that Raina lied to me…"

"Lied to you about what?" Natalie questioned in a mock airy tone that caused Phoebe to spike with rage and stand up. She began pacing back and forth across the storage closet. It was a tight space, barely giving her room to take five steps before hitting a wall. She ran a hand through her hair over and over again trying her best to shoot down any possibility that Natalie actually knew something. She wanted her to be a liar, a complete fraud who had just made everything up. The only issue with that was the series of small claims she kept making, small tidbits of information that chewed away at that doubt. Had she just opened with the big stuff maybe she could have been doubted, but Phoebe knew she was telling the truth, it was in the way she spoke and smiled.

She wasn't telling Phoebe the answer to her question because Phoebe already knew the answer herself. It was a doubt stirring in the back of her mind constantly, waiting to be fed with some semblance of proof. Maybe she hadn't dug into it out of fear, fear of ending up just like Bryce. Even if it was true she had no power, she'd helped Raina gain full control of the team, if she spoke out now it would be game over.

But Natalie wasn't satisfied with just handing out information. No, she wanted to see the three people she'd spent all day with squirm, and then take that squirming to their teams and completely turn the game on its head. She had information for Phoebe and knew it would physically tear The Sinister Sharks apart, throwing doubt in plans and trust in their leader out the window. Lara wasn't the only one planning for the merge. If she gave them all help now they'd come crawling back for more eventually, it was leverage she planned to use.

"Funnily enough Warren accidentally revealed it to Trevor," Natalie piped up causing Phoebe to turn towards the red team player slowly. She had a soppy grin on her face that Phoebe wanted to smack.

"No, there's no way Raina would lie to me like that," Phoebe stated with a deep exhale.

"No offense Phoebe, but people aren't exactly angels," Lara replied with a shake of her head. "I've worked with enough people to know that everyone will try to screw you over. They complain behind each other's backs, steal, and always put on a nice front. Have you ever asked yourself who Raina really is?"

"She's… She's my friend," Phoebe muttered in an unsure voice.

"But who is she?" Lara demanded while motioning to Liam. "By the sounds of it even Liam has secrets to hide… How much do you really know about this girl?"

"I know she's her class president, super studious, and likes Warren…" Phoebe shrugged.

"Does she ever talk about friends?" Natalie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No…" Phoebe trailed, earning a cringe from Liam.

"Ooh, bad sign," Liam shuddered. "She sounds like one of those cutthroat nerds that look down on anyone with low grades."

"Really?" Phoebe asked while drawing her hands close to her chest.

"Oh yeah, they act all nice and friendly, but they always want something from you, and the second they're done with you they throw you aside. From what I can gather Raina is a goal oriented person and the only goal in this game is winning that cool million," Liam explained while rubbing his fingers together.

"But what if she's different?" Phoebe asked in near desperation.

"If she were different she would have included you in her plans," Natalie replied while gazing between Liam and Lara. "I know you don't like it but by the sounds of it she's using you as a pawn."

"I'm not a pawn!" Phoebe exclaimed.

"And yet you're being played," Natalie concluded with a smirk.

* * *

It was getting dark when players finally returned to the ship from a long and gruelling challenge in India. Of course Chris in all his wisdom decided to send someone to retrieve the players stuck in the storage closet. He'd known about them all along, but since a player had been taken from each team he hadn't bothered with interfering. Most players were still confused as to where their missing member had gone, though at least Plankton were relieved to have Lara missing.

But Chris couldn't just choose anyone for the task, he reviewed a little footage, crunched a few numbers and sent Raina up to the top deck. She didn't know what to expect since Chris had decided to skimp out on details, but when she opened the door and practically blinded the four players behind it she was in utter shock. Firstly she'd been worried sick about Phoebe all through the challenge, secondly she was filled with excitement about telling Pheobe of the events that had transpired that day, and thirdly she unfortunately had to break the bad news to her teammate. It was safe to say that The Sinister Sharks had not been the ideal team when it came to playing Elephant Polo and they'd happened to scrounge up a loss for their lackluster participation.

Shockingly the only one more disappointed than Phoebe was Lara, who seemed flabbergasted that her team had managed to pull off a second win, all done without her even being present. But even Lara's face held nothing to Raina's own when Phoebe exited the closet and blinked in the light. Raina had just started talking about how she'd spent her day, of how she'd decided to talk romance with Warren, a big step forward towards the joke about nine kids that morning. Unfortunately, Phoebe wasn't in a joking mood and the other three closetees seemed desperate to hear her say something.

"So the teams didn't merge," Phoebe muttered while staring off into the distance.

"Nope, maybe we're running together until we hit twenty players," Raina replied with a shrug. She kept shooting looks at Natalie, Lara, and Liam, unsure as to why they were sticking around.

"Okay then," Phoebe exhaled while closing her eyes and drawing in a deep breath through her nose. "I've been told a lot of things today, I didn't really have a choice but to confront them. I've thought over what everyone has said to me and decided that it's all bullshit. I want to hear an honest answer from you if we're going to continue being teammates… Did you cheat to get the leadership role back in Alaska?"

Raina's eyes went wide in a way that was more of an answer than any word could be. Phoebe watched the expression change with silent realization running through her mind. It was true, all of it. Warren had cheated to get Raina the leadership role and she'd done nothing about it. When Bryce had found out she'd focused in on his elimination, likely getting Warren to throw challenges in the process. She'd lied, but that didn't prove anything anyone had said correct. All it did was leave Raina with an opportunity, one that would colour her future in the game.

"No…" Raina trailed in the most unconvincing way possible.

Phoebe could only laugh in response as the cooling colours of sunset began to darken. She shook her head while the other three players walked away leaving her alone with Raina. She just laughed again and then shook her head once more before blowing out air and proceeding to look Raina right in the eyes.

"I'm not even mad about the cheating you know, that pig would have been the first to go whether you cheated or not. Heck you could have revealed he was right and we still would have booted him out," Phoebe chuckled as she ran her hand through her hair. Raina watched her with a falling face while Phoebe tried her hardest not to swear and start beating up the railing until her fists bled. "But you just had to lie, being the leader was more important than… well… anything."

"How did you find out?!" Raina demanded in anger.

"Does it matter?!" Phoebe responded with fury flaring in her nostrils. There was enough annoyance in her face to make Raina back down. "You lied to the team and you just lied right to my face."

"Warren cheated and I didn't-" Raina started.

"Oh he'll get his comeuppance," Phoebe stated in a rather blunt manner. "And you'll get yours too."

"Phoebe…" Raina trailed while holding a hand out.

"And to think I thought we were friends," Phoebe laughed before turning on her heel and leaving Raina alone on the deck. The girl held her hand out for a few seconds before lowering it alongside her gaze. Phoebe didn't look back. She just stomped along the deck, not so much angered by the cheating, but rather at the fact she'd been used as a pawn by someone she thought was a friend.

* * *

By the time elimination rolled around every player on the team knew about the whole Alaska fiasco. It wasn't exactly hard to wrap their heads around seeing as Bryce had been utterly thorough with his accusations. All those claims needed was a little backup from a trusted player and suddenly everything was just common knowledge. Chris was having a field day with this info while he chided the team for flaws they had that Phoebe was completely ignorant too.

She listened though, gathering that teamwork had effectively fallen apart because Raina was utterly distracted by Phoebe's absence. At the time they had sympathy and votes wouldn't have even entered her radar, but with new knowledge there were guns pointed right at her. Phoebe had basically grabbed the mess of ropes Raina had been using to keep the team together with one hand and hoisted it into the air. The last thing she was going to allow for was splintering of their team, especially when it seemed like they'd be stuck together for a while longer. Dividing the teams up after eleven challenges just seemed odd to Phoebe, and if they hadn't merged that day then relying on a merge was the last thing she wanted to do. People like Natalie, Liam, and Lara were already shopping for new teams, quick to abandon their own teammates. That strategy would lead to burnt bridges and a lot of heartbreak, something Phoebe was going to avoid at all costs.

"How does it feel, to have won so much and yet fall behind The Whales in terms of numbers?" Chris asked as he swept his gaze over the players. Everyone was embarrassed and angry about that fact. They'd physically dominated every inch of the game and yet there they were floundering and lost, unsure of who to trust as drama swept over their team threatening to tear it apart. They'd seen a divide form in The Plankton and every challenge they lost got them closer to that point. The point where they'd run out of weak teammates to sluff off and turn on each other like rabid dogs.

But it was time to vote, and Phoebe knew she couldn't let a certain player slip back into their ranks unnoticed. Raina kept giving her an awkward and pleading look, one filled with apology and sadness. Phoebe didn't care though, the rest of the team had been briefed and the lines had been set, it was time to cut someone off.

While Chris continued to insult their team Raina felt a hand grab hers. She turned her eyes to see Warren sitting next to her, he gave her a brave smile that she was obligated to return. He wanted to make sure things turned out fine, but it was too late for that. The cards were on the table and Raina knew it was time to count the chickens.

Voting proceeded swiftly, everyone was in and out in lightning speed. The only one to take their time was Raina, and that was because she literally didn't know who to vote for. Bryce had been her target for so long that she'd failed to think ahead. In the end she just grew a look of rage and banged the stamper on her own passport before flinging it onto the pile and exiting with tears in her eyes. She just had to tell Phoebe the truth, that was all it would have taken to save her skin, and yet there she was, feeling the consequences she knew would take place if she didn't.

"The following players are safe…" Chris trailed, though it was completely pointless for him to list names. He rattled off Helden, Lloyd, Olga, Phoebe, Renee, Roxie, and Trevor. Their mints fell into outstretched hands and Raina inhaled deeply in apprehension. Her bags sat packed below her feet and her gaze was on the ground for a mere second before her eyes clamped shut.

" _Just Say it already!_ " She shouted in her head. Chris however couldn't bring himself to do that. Instead he raised that final mint as if there was any hope for who wasn't going home. Warren was holding her hand in an attempt to calm her down. They'd had their first serious talk that morning and yet it was all going to waste.

"The person going home tonight is…" Chris trailed with nail biting tension dripping from his lips. He spread his smile wide while the blue pool light sent the wrapped mint in his hand alight with flashes of silver. "…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

… Warren!" Chris exclaimed before that mint sailed over the pool and hit Raina right in the face. She however, stood up in complete disbelief and protest. Words just couldn't leave her mouth as every eye on the team stared at her coldly. All except Warren. She was about to choke out something when he decided to plant his lips on hers. She blinked in surprise and it was over in an instant. Warren turned, picked up his bags, and walked to the lifeboat of losers while Raina was left stammering and choking in place. She watched as her friend was hoisted over the water and dropped into it. The second a splash filled the air everyone got to their feet.

It was then that Raina turned towards Phoebe and found that the blonde had entered her personal space.

"Curious?" Phoebe asked venomously. Raina only blinked in response but that seemed to be enough for Phoebe. "If I eliminated you we'd forget about Warren in a week, he'd slip back into the game unharmed. But you, no one will forget you. You're next and I don't want you to forget that. You'll feel every second of this game drag past while we win over and over again. Your only release will be on the day we do lose again, and I promise you now that you'll go home."

"Phoebe, I'm sorry!" Raina protested but found a finger in her face before she could say another word.

"Don't forget what you did," Phoebe snarled in response. "You'll have the same fate as Bryce, the fate you planned for anyone who found out your secret. You burnt your bridges!"

With her mind being spoken Phoebe marched away towards the dorms with her hands in her pockets and her face contorted into a snarl. She knew that if she'd failed to convince her teammates of Raina's wrongdoing, she would have been in that boat herself. She didn't want to hear anything Raina had to say or make any plans with the girl. She was done being a pawn in the game and by the sounds of it Lara, Liam, and Natalie wanted her as a pawn as well. They'd been playing her in that closet and she'd come to realize just how easy it was to be controlled. No, she wouldn't be a pawn any longer. She was Phoebe, the captain of The Sinister Sharks, and Raina should have considered herself lucky. Phoebe wasn't going to lose anytime soon, which meant she was safe, and if she was smart she'd keep her lying mouth shut.


	12. The Confessional

**Total Drama Ocean Cruise**

 **Chapter XII: The Confessional**

 **Written by The Firebending Frog**

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"It's been nearly a full day since you left and the amount of things that have changed in those few hours is absolutely insane. Not quite unexpected, but definitely insane. There's a lot to process and I don't really know where to start so… I'm not gone… Yay for that I guess. We actually won the challenge, you know how it works Warren, if something doesn't royally screw us over we just dominate. But today was different, we didn't just win the challenge, we completely blew the competition out of the water.

We landed in Madagascar and Chris had us wander around looking for all sorts of wild animals to take pictures of. The Creepy Calamari should have had it in the bag, I mean they have Kiara and Josh on their team and those two literally packed cameras. What won it for us was Phoebe's drive and resolve. She just decided to be good at photography and with our numbers it wasn't hard to find all the animals we needed.

What really got to me during the challenge was the way everyone ignored me, for the first time ever I wasn't formulating plans and got a taste of what my true power beyond planning is, absolutely nothing. I didn't even speak once during the whole day and now that I think of it, right now is the first time I've spoken all day. My throat's a little sore from all that silence and it's just so… I don't know! I can't bring myself to talk because I know everyone will just blow me off the second I open my mouth, so I just kept my head down and my lips zipped. I have so much I want to say and yet I remain absolutely silent. I keep staring at Phoebe trying to push out apologies, but they just won't come out. It may sound weird to you but to me this isn't that weird.

At one point in my life I was this silent and whenever I did speak my words would come out as little more than a whisper. I made such a small impact in my classrooms that people often forgot my name. I always wanted to say things but I'd end up descending into a stammering mess before I said anything, convincing myself it would be stupid. Of course this is literally the exact same. Every time I try to bring something up I just can't do it, I think about what will happen after I say something before I say it. I'm setting up roadblocks for myself and I'm aware I'm doing it. It's even worse than school, back then at least I was ignorant.

I have no idea what to do with myself, at least this morning I had things to clean, but now that I'm alone in first class I have nothing to keep myself preoccupied. To make matters worse whenever I do start doing something I enjoy I end up stopping myself and acting like I don't deserve it. This is insane right? It has to be insane, and yet I've completely convinced myself that the best thing to do is to sit in the dark on my bed while the sound of laughter drifts down the hall from my teammates.

I know what will happen if I enter the pool or the lounge, everyone will stop whatever they're doing and leave. The least I can do is let them enjoy themselves, it's only fair after what I did. I should have just turned you in when we were in Alaska. Phoebe was right, we would have eliminated Bryce anyway and maybe they would have raised me to leader when his ego got the best of him. I just had to keep it secret though, once I had something I couldn't just let it slip through my fingers. Typical of me, always so defensive and protective of what I think makes me special. I needed to be the leader because I was afraid of just blending in, of just becoming another player on the team. It reminds me of my little brother, kid always wanted to get into the same things as me, whether it was tv shows, music, or art. I look back and can just picture the two of us being close but instead I just pushed him away over and over again until he stopped liking what I liked altogether.

I was just starting to warm up to Phoebe and just had to drive her away too. We were just on the level where she was admitting she wants kids to me. We could have been friends for years, heck I could have met those kids one day,, but instead I just blew it and there's nothing I can change about that…

Now I'm safe for another day… Or maybe longer. No one on the team is slowing down in order to eliminate me, they're like the opposite of Lara, that girl will throw a challenge just to spite her team. I made sure to hang back after elimination today, The Whimsical Whales lost again. Mostly because Gabriel is a whiny brat who just couldn't deal with the jungle. Dude's been sent plummeting into the ocean which means he's ranked just above you, sorry about that. Outlasting that guy would have been awesome considering who he is and all. A lot of people here are in it for the money, but that guy was loaded thanks to his parents and was only here for the fame.

That always kind of bothered me, and if I'm being perfectly honest people like Yvonne kind of bother me too. I know she's not as rich and she's self-made, but she doesn't need that prize money, she's only here to get noticed. Neither of those two had to wear hand me down uniforms to school. Mom was furious when they were introduced at my school, mostly because the price tag fell directly on the parents. So of course I had to get some of the cheapest stuff imaginable. I only had one jacket but the rest of my uniforms were pulled together from random pieces of clothing she found at thrift shops. My jacket tended to smell pretty awful by the end of the week, and nothing ever fit right.

Did I ever talk about what I'd do with the money with you? I know you wanted to put in a big entertainment system first and foremost. You did like your couch activities after all. Honestly now that I think about it don't exactly know how money treated you during your lifetime. I know Phoebe's been able to take many vacations and Lloyd takes hunting trips all over North America with his dad, but a lot of people are a mystery in the game. People like Lara have clearly had jobs while Jason seems like the type that can afford to be in every sport on the planet. Must be nice, being able to join those teams. My parents could never handle the driving involved, so my brother and I didn't exactly get to join teams. Kind of a relief to me actually, something changes in people when they get on those things, I'm not sure why but there's a cocky confidence that spreads through people. Girls get all snooty and bigoted while the guys just seem to get dumber and dumber. Unfortunately those are also the people who end up the most popular in school, so in order to stand out you have to adapt into new roles, hence why I became class president, not that anyone ran against me, but still.

I'm not sure how I'd handle the money, I know from research that people who come across a ton tend to end up poorer than they started out if unregulated. This is a million dollars we're talking about, and that is an awful lot of money, more than I could make from thirty years of back breaking labour, even without the expenses of living. It's crazy what that kind of cash could do to your life, though I'm not sure it would all be good. The way Gabriel acted before he was eliminated was totally entitled, he thought everything he wanted was his right and that was honestly kind of scary. What kind of stuff has to happen to a person to make them so unappreciative? If you talked to anyone on his team they'd tell you that he was pissed off with first class when they got into it, imagine that, being angry at first class. The beds here are so soft and there's an indoor pool, hot tub, and all these amazing foods I've never heard of before. I don't really mind the work that comes with losing, but to have a full day of nothing but pampering is just heaven to me.

Of course, not everyone's going to see it in the same way, I'm pretty sure you appreciated that television but I don't think people like Renee really care about the splendor. She sketches the same way whether she's in first class or the losing bunk, usually tucked into a corner with her eyes glued to the page. I don't think she'll be the type to buy a huge home, she's content with anything so long as it's a little quiet. In the same vein I don't think Lloyd really cares for the pristine nature of first class. He's kind of rustic, often blowing off everything as too elaborate or extravagant while reminiscing about the simple stuff.

For me this is a little too fancy, I kind of like the space, but the pool and ready massage therapy is a little much. It's a bit too flashy and seems more akin to vacation than a home. Home for me is lived in and cramped. Stuff should be broken and duct taped back together, there should be marks on the walls and signs that people live there, messes, clutter, and stuff relating to the daily lives of those there. First class is too clean, it's too perfect. It has no personality and is really kind of off-putting.

I do have to wonder why someone as rich as Gabriel has no aspirations though. You'd think he'd see the way his parents live and proclaim that he wanted it as well. If my parents were billionaires I'd want to upstage them, I'd become a trillionaire! But I guess that happens if you don't really understand the value of money. To some people a hundred dollars is a lot but to others that's just junk change. I've seen other girls blow hundreds at malls for the latest fashions and biggest trends. Maybe I'd get into a trend if I won the million. I could buy a new wardrobe after all, I could get multiple uniforms for next year. I hear they're changing up the school colours where I live, we just became a bigger school so we're competing with different teams in sports tournaments. It used to be blue and silver as our school colours, but now they're pushing a subtler gray with an aqua green. It'll be in small amounts on our jackets and on the ties, you know, basic stuff. My principle is disbanding casual Fridays though, so maybe a wardrobe is a bad idea.

But here I am making plans for the million when there's a zero percent chance of me actually winning it now. I've outlasted Gabriel for sure, but how many more players can I squeeze by on Phoebe's skill alone? This game can be unpredictable, and sure we got rid of Bryce and I'm not captain anymore, but there are still legitimate threats on other teams. How long will it be before Liam brings up another win? What happens if it's a scholarly challenge? I might be smart but Louise knows something like fifteen languages, how can I compete with that?

Even if we hit a merge, everyone will gun for me, it only takes one blue player in the next portion of the game to sink my ship and send me floating away in a lifeboat. The Plankton have solved their self-destructive problems too, which puts the brunt of what comes next on every other team, especially those with a lot of members. We haven't had time to work out our issues yet, to solidify and become a solid unit. Maybe that's what Chris is waiting for. The second everyone seems comfortable with the team dynamics he'll switch it up. Maybe he'll disband one team or maybe he'll just shuffle us all around. The bottom line is that after twelve days at sea no team has managed to absolutely dominate this game. We were close, in fact we've never placed third, but we're not infallible. We're missing a key ingredient and that ingredient seemed to be trust. I was so secretive about our cheating that I didn't get close to anyone, maybe that worked for a while but now I see how harmful it was. Everyone relied on me so much and the second I was out of commission we floundered. Now we have Phoebe in that role and I've taken Bryce's place. It's really ironic to be honest.

Is this how it felt all that time. To be an outsider with no real connections? I actually think Bryce had it better, at least people could stand to be in the same room as him, and he at least had an out. Had he proved I was a liar he would have entered the good graces of the team. Me though? I'm definitely relating to the loneliness. Only wanting to be accepted by the group, well, minus the rampant sexism. You know what this was a bad analogy. I'm nothing like Bryce, that guy had issues, deep seeded complexes that drove him to try and compete with everyone in every subject imaginable.

No, it's more like, I dunno, I moved to another team. It's almost like I moved to the Creepy Calamari, those guys have been a team for a while and I would just be trapped on the outside, first to be eliminated. But unlike day one we now have ideas of who everyone else is. People on the other teams seemed to be aware of what I did, I blame those other three that Phoebe was locked away with. They must have spread rumours about me, though honestly they're not really rumours. Everyone's going to be cautious around me because I'm now that girl from The Sinister Sharks that tricked her whole team. Funny how one bad event can colour everyone's perception of you. At this rate my only options for allies will be desperate people, not exactly the type I'm stoked to work with.

Like if I were to be transferred onto a team with Lara I know she'd just jump at the opportunity to ally herself with me, as I said, she's effectively lost her teammates and will probably hunt for more if we merge. I'm unfortunately an easy target if that happens. She'll use me as a stepping stone, maybe even drag me a bit further into the game, but what would I have to do in order to be allied with her? Who would I have to cut loose? I know this game can get cutthroat, but I don't really want to play it on Lara's terms.

But of course, that just brings me back to where I started, the people I wanted to play this game with are gone or out to get me and I don't know what to do. I can't apologize, I can't jump ship, all I can do is wait. Wait and think, wait and think. I'm sitting in my bed for hours staring at the roof and just wallowing in my misery, walks around the ship don't help because other players keep staring at me and whispering about my foul deeds. I'm fed up with it and just want things to return to normal. I'm being bypassed for challenges and my existence is simply to exist, taking long miserable showers, eating breakfast alone, and playing cards against myself. That's why I'm here, I think this confessional is the only thing keeping me from losing my mind.

With all this time and loneliness I'm starting to wonder if my entire life is nothing but an illusion, that I'm being untrue to myself. Hurting others definitely wasn't part of my plan and yet I did it to preserve my skin. Perhaps it's time for me to just let Raina the team captain, Raina the class president, and Raina the bold, flow away leaving who I really am behind. I know it sounds crazy to let the me I've been this whole game fade away but everyone kind of hates that version of me. So I have to reconnect with myself, whomever that girl is. I don't know if I remember much of her, it's been awhile anyway. I'm not even sure if I can become her again. At the very least I know she's a better person than I am, and that's something to strive for.

Maybe if I'd been soft spoken and quiet, the type of person that hangs in the back, like Renee, I would have done better. I definitely wouldn't have felt as safe as I did, but I think I'd be able to get just a little bit further, who knows, I might have even become friends with Phoebe in the end, and you know… Not screwed her over.

She seems to believe I would have eliminated her just like Bryce if she found out. Truth be told I was going to tell her about us, but I didn't. Would I have done it? Would I have turned the team against her if I knew that she knew? I'd like to say no, but I chose to lie right to her face instead of telling her. Maybe I would have done it, maybe I would have cast her away. All the more reason to abandon things now, I don't really have a choice but to slink backwards into silence. My mouth will be shut, my body held small, and I'll just repeat what I did in the challenge today.

Like I said we were in Madagascar and since that place is large and isolated its home to a variety of species you can't find anywhere else in the world. We had to take pictures and I ended up hanging in the back doing nothing for once. You know, where Lloyd, Renee, and Helden usually meander around. Not that they're useless or lazy, I'd never say that, but they haven't exactly had many chances to let their skills shine yet. Kind of my fault really. I rarely looked back to see what Renee's opinion on the challenge was, it was always Phoebe, you, or Bryce. I just kept looking for his approval and ended up leaving these pretty cool people in the dust behind me.

Renee's quite different when seen from the back, I always thought she wasn't paying attention, buried in her sketchbook and somehow walking while drawing. But she's actually full of smart remarks and sudden comments. She'll say them out loud even if no one is around to hear them. On the other hand she is quite blunt about her opinions. As we were hunting for a variation of lemur she turned to me and straight up told me that she would have preferred if I went home instead of you. I know you guys sat around on the couch a lot, but I guess she considered you a friend, or at least someone she could talk to. Her comment pretty much drove any idea I had about using the bottom of the team to at least survive out the window.

I definitely missed out on becoming friends with a pretty talented girl when I focused so much on keeping that secret. She's a very good artist and seems to have a special knack for drawing hands. Holding things, throwing things, clenched together, or balled into fists. They're all present in her sketchbook but when I pointed this out she told me she's actually bad at hands, hence why she's drawing so many. She didn't want to talk to me so I backed off and let her be.

Lloyd is another member of the team who hasn't really done anything since Alaska and he seems perfectly content to just ride off his minor success there. He's very backwoods… if that's the correct term. The guy is definitely clever, but is also clearly from the country, like deep country too. The kind of town where everyone knows each other and the graduating classes are composed of five people. He's loudmouth, not well spoken, and has a lot of bizarre opinions about animals and nature. He's definitely broken the law before, likes hunting, and seems much more relaxed when we're out in the woods.

Nature seems to calm him, though at the same time he picks up rocks and throws them at birds. He's that type of guy, the kind that wants to be out in nature just to kill something or tear something down. I saw him stab a pocket knife into a tree and proceed to strip the bark off it. Basically he killed the thing and didn't seem to care that he did it. He seems apathetic towards me, almost like this was the thing he was hoping for. It definitely took a target off his winning personality. Now that I see him for what he really is I can tell he would have slipped right past my vision come time for elimination. He's kind of the Diane of our team, the type of player that will just float through this game and rank way higher than he should, granted, he doesn't piss anyone off of course. He's pretty good at this game, I'll give him that much.

Helden is also in the back, he's a bit more wild and hard to figure out. He says weird things, does stranger things, and I'm ninety percent sure his home country is fictional. When I tried talking to him he spouted what I can only describe as nonsense. Comparing me to some strange collection of words that all sounded vaguely foreign before swinging his hair from side to side and walking away. Usually I see him as a weirdo and that concept hasn't died down in the slightest. Dude is completely oblivious to standard social cues and seems to take everything literally. I think he's speaking another language half the time, though I can't be certain. It could just be very poor English.

Sitting in the back makes me miss talking to Trevor about Wilma, or Olga about the weird things she's gotten up to. I don't know about you, but I highly suspect Olga has a criminal record. She has this bizarre knowledge of the justice system and seems to constantly allude to some kind of event, or perhaps it's multiple events. The more I hear the more certain I am that there's something shady in that girl's past. I'm steering clear of her because she keeps giving me these looks that could mean many things, I however, choose to interpret them as threats to snap my spine in two if I even open my mouth. I'm pretty sure she could do it too.

We walked around for hours like this, I wasn't leading for once, instead I was trailing in the back near Lloyd and trying my best to keep my composure. I'm not going to lie, I did cry… Multiple times. I'm not proud of it and I definitely wasn't trying to light sympathy under our teammates but I couldn't help it. I went from being looked up to by all these people to simply falling in line. You don't have to pay attention when you do that. You can shamble along with your mind deep in thought and only look up when the team stops to take a picture. The whole day was spent in a tizzy, following the team left, following them right, and then standing in the back while Chris announced the winners.

I didn't even look at him with apprehension, I knew my fate was sealed whether we won or lost, so instead I gazed at the other teams like a lot of people on the team do. When you're not waiting with baited breath you end up figuring out things about other team dynamics. The girls on The Plankton all shaved their heads into different hairstyles back in Australia and Yvonne's stubble had darkened, indicating her hair might come back in some form in the next week or so. Just little hairs that probably won't be styled until sometime after the contest. Lara had hair filled with twigs and I could only assume came from jumping into bushes in an attempt to continue leading her team. Probably trying to overcompensate for her absence the day before. Their team just nabbed third while The Whales came last. They all glared at Gabriel, hence his elimination tonight. I know about that because you can see the players walk back from the losing deck. Gabriel is pretty notable among them, having that slight dark tone to his skin, probably a great grandparent that was black or something along those lines. His hair is usually poshly done too and he's as skinny as a beanpole. He wasn't there and I could count the other eight members as they crossed the deck.

I guess what Chris said about us being outnumbered wasn't exactly relevant. Sure we're tied in terms of numbers but once again we've proven ourselves to be powerhouses in this game. No matter how many times we lose we seem to keep coming back for first and second, no matter who's kicked off or barred from active competing. I do think there is a merge coming, as little as I can rely on one to get me out of my predicament. All the challenges so far haven't required numbers, they've been playable by large numbers of players and unfortunately that gives an advantage to our team and The Whales. He'll mix it up, regardless of if they're even or not.

I think we'll merge at twenty seven or twenty four players. Chris will make three teams but stagger them. One team will have one extra player and one team will be short one player. He'll probably mix us up based on overall review scores, which may screw us blue players over seeing as we haven't been able to collect many. That would mean a merge could possibly be taking place tomorrow night. Of course, everyone was wrong about the merge at thirty players so anything is possible really. Chis could just disband one team and send its players to the stronger ones. Then he wouldn't have to name teams and could just keep the dynamics where they are. Of course that's dumb, Chris knows we're all starting to get comfortable so he'll want to screw things up.

I however, throw a wrench in that plan. Lara and I have really had our teams turn on us, the dynamics of two teams have completely turned on their heads. Chris could keep us as four teams until one just dies for all I know. The fact of the matter is I'm stuck thinking about impossible things that won't affect me. It's hard not to think about the merge though, as people around me keep talking. They aren't silent about their whispers either. Trevor thinks we should throw a challenge to get rid of me before a merge, he thinks a player like me shouldn't get a chance to even make it. He's not alone in his thought either and some people are much less secretive about the subject.

It makes me wonder if I'm really deserving of making it far into this game, I just think back to whose been eliminated and I can't help but feel that there's a similarity between them and me. Bree was whiny, Nancy was a complete idiot, and Bubba was so sure of himself that he didn't bother making sure his relationships were fine. A lot of these people were edged out of the game for reasons not related to the competition. No one has been outcompeted yet, it's just been unworthy players, ones that fail to leave much of an impact and kind of just coast by. Even you were eliminated for these reasons. I think your win back in Japan is understated a lot, you were on fire there and people on the team really appreciated your contributions. Yet you were eliminated because of the drama, not some hard choice on who had to go, an understandable move early in the game. Now I'm destined for the same fate and have to wonder if Trevor's right. What did I do that earns me a spot in the next portion of this contest? I didn't win any challenges myself, half my plans didn't work out, and I relied so heavily Olga and Phoebe that I now can't stand out myself. Without that leadership role I'm not a very imposing opponent.

I don't have muscles, I'm not very familiar with the wilderness, and culture flies right over my head. Without that leadership role I'm just a weakling that looks more like an eliminated Plankton player than one of the final twenty eight. If I have anything going for me it's my planning skills. I can formulate a plan of action in seconds, and now that Bryce isn't leering at every choice I make I can easily stick to it and stop worrying. The only problem is that skill is null without people following me. I can't pitch an idea and when it comes to anything physical I'm a failure. I try my best in everything I do but I'm easily outmatched by someone else. I couldn't hold that food down in japan, if I had fought in China I wouldn't have passed a single round, and no matter how much I strain myself to run I always end up being beaten. My one asset has been stolen from me and I can feel contempt growing for me by the second. Everyone is realizing just how weak I really am. We're The Sinister Sharks and yet I'm on the same strength level of Renee without her amazing analysis levels. Trevor's just the first one to bring up my physical state, something I've avoided comment on for long enough even I began to forget about it.

It bothers me more to see Phoebe filling my role and not doing the best job at it. She has to come up with the plans now and they're never quite as polished as mine. She is not a planner, she's a strong player who is best in the moment. If a challenge is thrust in her face she can adapt and learn how to overcome it quickly. I recall the surfing challenge and how quickly she can think on the spot. She's not good with plans made ahead of time, she relies more on split second decisions that, while great for a solitary player, are not made for a team and I know she's only playing this way to spite me. I can tell from her sideways glares.

If I'm being completely honest I wish I hadn't even competed with Bryce at all in Alaska. I'm so used to leadership that I forget just how stressless being a follower is. I wouldn't have worried about making sure our team won, I probably would have kicked back a bit more, and I definitely would have spent more time with you. Except instead of panicking all the time we could have actually done fun stuff together.

In many ways I seem to have accepted my fate to be eliminated, to end up like Gabriel did tonight, adrift in the ocean after my team turned on me. I may not have been foul mouthed or insulting to others but I definitely struck a nerve with enough people that crawling out of the hole I'm in is a lost cause. You'd know the answer to this but I often wonder what it feels like when a player drifts away from the cruise ship. I assume you're picked up by a coast guard or something but I think watching the cruise ship pull away from you must be an emotional moment. I know I'll end up in a lifeboat one day but my question is of what emotion I'll feel.

I think I've already done my crying, and the sense of loss has already consumed me so maybe I'll feel relief, finally free from the knowledge that I'm next and can't do anything about it. It's kind of a nice thought really, drifting away from the cruise ship as darkness and cold overtake you, waves lapping against you that might scare the uneducated. The distant lights of the ship will fade and for a brief moment you may hope it'll turn back but instead it'll just chug along out of sight. I'll definitely feel that sense of emptiness, that emotion that begs you to fill it, then I can return home, lesson learned and ready to improve myself. Sure I won't win a million dollars, but I've definitely been humbled.

I wonder what mom will think of me when these episodes air. She'll be so disappointed, none of that classic reinforcement and telling me the other kid was to blame and I just had to try harder. She'll give me a look and tell me something I'm already aware of before walking away, an air of cold about her. Oh man why didn't I think about my family watching this at the time?! I'm so stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

This game has been a stressful ride and I'm not really sure if I was ever the right kind of person to win this. I'm not cutthroat enough to back up my actions but also not nice enough to not do bad things in the first place. My dumb brain convinced me to do some terrible things out of fear and I let Bryce control my actions more than I realized. I just hope that before I'm eliminated I can somehow make it up to at least one person. I just don't know how to do that, I don't even know where to start. If sorry isn't good enough what will be? I can't clean things because housekeeping does that already and even then Roxie would get pissed off at me for not doing a good job.

I dunno, I just needed to vent. My brains full and my voice is getting scratchy. How long will it be before I can't even muster up an apology because I'm so nerve wracked? I'm not some sympathetic kid who grew up in a box, I mean I'm not well off but I'm not dirt poor either. There's no deeper reasoning for me to win that money, this was honestly just a game to me and I made that clear in my ten days of leadership. My honesty about my situation has come to bite me in the ass, heck some people are already doubting it, looking at me for any signs that I'm not who I say I am, that I'm secretly like Gabriel and just trying to win pocket change. For some people this game could change their life and they'll look for any extra reason to hate me. Not that I need to give them any. All I can hope is they don't find something that isn't there.

I recall Alaska though, and that gives me a little hope. I managed to become friends with you by sitting in the mud, if that taught me anything it's that I have to be willing to get my hands dirty. I know I won't succeed in winning anyone back, just like I didn't succeed there, but I want to try and if that trying can result in at least one person forgiving me then I can live with that. I miss you Warren and if I'm being perfectly honest I agree with Renee, I should have gone instead of you. But that's just more reason to try, because I'm sure you would if you were here in my place."


	13. ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!

**Total Drama Ocean Cruise**

 **Chapter XIII: ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!**

 **Written By The Firebending Frog**

* * *

Morning sunshine blasted down onto the deck of the _S.S McLean_ so hot that it made all the passengers go from rare to medium well. Most of them had become very lethargic in the afternoon heat and gone back to their air conditioned rooms. It made sense seeing as the heat wave was so bad it made the distance flicker indoors. The only people not spared from the intense sunlight were the contestants working the top decks. Erin and Elsa lay on the ground in the smoothie bar groaning while their sweaty skin began to stick to the ground, Natalie had abandoned her post as lifeguard and was lying in the absolutely vacant pool, and Wilma had completely ditched the top deck and had instead taken to the shaded balcony on the second level.

She of course wasn't one to bum off work by herself, she had decided to drag a sweaty looking Trevor into the ordeal, though his sweat wasn't coming from the fact it was warm out, rather for Wilma's complete disregard for the cruise ship rules. She was skipping work, had stolen drinks from the smoothie bar, and was only wearing half her uniform. He could only think of the consequences that would erupt if someone saw her. Of course, Wilma couldn't be bothered to care and was content to do whatever she pleased.

"First class must be killer right now," Wilma laughed as she took another swing from the can of Pomegranate Rush she'd looted from the smoothie bar. It was a brand of soda that felt like it was melting through her taste buds every time she took a sip. It was absolutely disgusting but happened to be the closest thing to actual food she'd ingested since they'd won in Antarctica.

"You don't want me to sneak you in there?!" Trevor demanded in response, almost like he actually believed that was what she wanted. She burst into laughter the second he opened his mouth, wiping a tear from her eye as her joy died down.

"Nah, I'd rather avoid the posh environment of a personal hot tub and caviar," Wilma snorted in a mocking tone before she wiped some sweat off her brow and glanced at the distant shore of Africa flowing past them. To her, it was a shame they'd powered past so much of the continent. No doubt they'd just rush past it and spend half the competition in the Caribbean. Predictable shlock that cruise liners liked to advertise. Sun, sand, and alcohol. That was all it took to get some people on an adventure. They'd just blow past all the culture and landscape of Africa simply because it wasn't easy to handle. South Africa and then off to South America, that was her guess. No jungle safaris or random destinations. They'd be in big destination cities in mere days and it was upsetting her newfound sense of direction, random travelling in random directions. The least Chris could do was have them cruise up to the Mediterranean so they could some random islands, but those places didn't have flashy names. Who wanted to see Total Drama hit random Greek islands when it could advertise a visit to picturesque Mexican resorts and lush tropical paradises?

"It's mostly ice cream right now," Trevor responded while trying his very best to ignore what was staring him right in the face. He had a look staring right into the distance while Wilma scratched her bare shoulders and gave a quick sniffle. She'd ditched most of her clothes leaving only her dress pants and underwear on. The mere sight of a plain white bra made Trevor feel like some kind of creep, though Wilma really didn't care. She just sat on a piece of wicker furniture with her bare feet slung onto a table that was thankfully out of the sun. Every other table on the deck had been turned into a burner by the sunlight so the duo had been forced pretty close together.

Girls were not supposed to be this way, at least not this quickly. Trevor was kind of freaking out and wondering if perhaps he'd given Wilma the wrong idea. He wanted a nice traditional and planned out relationship while she seemed to be starting at step thirty two with no plans on backtracking to the first few months of dating, that sweet time where the couple grew comfortable with one another before breaking down barriers. Or maybe she was in fact some kind of ruffian who would reveal a smoking habit the second they were out of the game. Both options freaked him out and made it so the mistake was on his part, however, acting towards Wilma seemed like a bad idea considering her temperament at that moment.

It didn't take long for the conversation to swing back to Gabriel, Wilma's main point of focus during their chat. The guy had definitely rubbed her the wrong way in more ways than one and Trevor could detect massive resentment towards the guy from Wilma, not just capable of being stuffed into one point of contention either. It had started on his attitude but quickly shifted towards his rather dumb opinions, for the third time however it reared into a complaint about his wealth.

"I mean, if I was rich and had kids I wouldn't spoil them," Wilma laughed before taking a sip from her drink. "Like, make all the money you want but don't just throw it at your kids until they expect it. I swear that kid will be a grade A asshole one day, sequestered away in some rich apartment in downtown wherever. One of those D bags that drives a sports car past homeless people and has a dozen gold diggers clinging to his body."

"Was he really that rich?" Trevor asked curiously while scratching his own chair to see if the wicker would split.

"I dunno, but the way he talked told me enough, he was one of those people. From a family that acts as a black hole of wealth, constantly absorbing it and never giving any release. How much money is too much money? I say it's when your kid is a brat, that's when," Wilma muttered before exhaling deeply and taking another swing of her drink. "What's a guy like that even doing in the game, we all have goals for that money and yet he was already loaded."

"Maybe his dad cut him off," Trevor shrugged.

"Sure, and my parents are totally fine with me attending any school I want," Wilma replied with a roll of her eyes. "When I win that money I'm going travelling, I'll see the world, but not through this dumb show. I wanna see the true world, the way everyday people live their lives… What about you?"

"I'll put it away for after college," Trevor announced.

"Pssh, where's the adventure in that?" Wilma asked with a chuckle. "You'll finish and be all set, none of that post-graduation struggle…"

"What's wrong with that?" Trevor asked with a raised eyebrow and a spike of panic.

"Dude if you'll miss one of the most confusing and random times of your life. Maybe you'll eat ramen every night, maybe you'll own fifteen couches, or maybe you'll spend every night black out drunk," Wilma listed while growing a wistful look in her eyes. "You work odd jobs while waiting for a spot in your industry to open, meet your dream boy, and maybe have a kid or two in that time. If I were to just enter adult life smoothly I'd be a bachelorette when I'm thirty six wishing I'd partied harder."

"That sounds…" Trevor started with every intention to finish his sentence with the word _awful_ but Wilma was quick to interrupt.

"Amazing? I know right," Wilma sighed before chucking her empty can at the trash can. It bounced off it and landed on the ground, sending several droplets showering onto the ground that immediately evaporated. "For all I know I'll join a hippie commune or move to Brazil!"

"Brazil?" Trevor asked with a look of worry crossing his face. He could only picture himself on the police force in Brazil while Wilma partied on beach somewhere.

"Oh yeah," Wilma smiled before closing her eyes and swaying back and forth to an unheard tune. "Living life on a beachside town, raising all my kids in an exciting and cultured country, and learn an instrument. Maybe a guitar, I could go for a violin, or maybe some drums. I always forget about drums."

"Brazil…" Trevor muttered while slumping back in his chair.

"I dunno, just one possibility… How do you feel about Russian winters?" Wilma questioned as she turned to face a blank faced Trevor.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Brazil? Russia?!" Trevor exclaims while gripping his head. "Next she'll say she wants to join an indie developer in Slovakia and adopt thirteen cats!"

"You know what would be fun…" Wilma giggles while biting her lips. "Developing video games in Slovakia and adopting thirteen cats… With my boyfriend Trevor… Eee it's so cool that he wants to listen to this stuff! I might have actually found a guy who wants to do crazy things with me!"

Heavy Static persists for a few seconds before Lara appears on Camera seated rather smugly on the beat up chair that's been placed in there.

"Ever since Australia I've been on the outside with my team, but Lara Teller is no quitter, I can promise you that!" Lara announces with a coy grin spreading across her face. "So a new girl is the manager's favorite because she has a huge rack and acts all flirty, but I have a foolproof five step plan that will get me back on top and get the other girl fired. I've used it before and let me say Yvonne is far from the toughest cat I've had to skin."

* * *

"How's my team this morning? Did you all get out of bed on time?" Lara asked as she entered the laundry room with a cart of towels.

It was very clear that no one had gotten out of bed on time and no one had gone to bed at a respectable time either. Lara was running off a full night's sleep and several hours of wakefulness while her compatriots looked like trash. She wanted to do nothing more than scream and shout at them but the teams had failed to merge in the two days prior, which meant she was likely stuck with the other girls for the long haul. Step one of her plan involved reminding them all of how great things used to be when she was in charge. They'd all been properly rested and had time to do their hair and makeup. Ugly as the new hairstyles were, they could easily look better with at least minute care and attention.

Diane's was a complete rag and Bebe's had been ruffled beyond all comprehension. That pink hair shaved on one side made her look like a punk, but even Lara knew the hair had to be kept to one side of the head, when it spilled onto the bald patch it lost any luster it might have possessed previously and just looked ratty. To add to this Zilka's hair had definitely seen better days and the bangs needed gel, in its current state her hairstyle kept falling into blinding bangs that were quite frustrating.

"We had no trouble at all getting up," Yvonne responded the second Lara had finished her sweep. The girl's head was still practically stubble and the growth of it had been pathetic at best. It would take at least a few days more before all the skin was drowned out by a faint layer of brown.

"Easy for you to say, you're bald," Lara sighed with a shake of her head. It didn't help that Yvonne was the most put together of the bunch, needing a fraction of the time to get ready now that she was a hairless mutant with the face of a girl. She'd managed to apply her makeup, at least Lara could compliment her on that. "And aren't you an actress? Won't someone get pissed now that you've shaved your head?"

"I had to chop it short for my next role," Yvonne shrugged before closing a washing machine door and starting it up.

"You have to change your appearance that drastically for acting roles?" Lara asked with a raised eyebrow. "What are you filming anyway?"

"Oh, I'd tell you but you know… Nondisclosure agreements," Yvonne replied before walking past Lara and bumping into her shoulder as she went. The little trot she was giving off made Lara wrinkle her nose in disgust and recall her parents watching the same dumb sitcom over and over again and laughing at outdated jokes and references. For some reason Yvonne was reminding her of that and she had no idea why.

"Oh, lay off her," Bebe grinned before approaching Lara. "In a few days you'll be right back to waking us up so we can win! You just have to be a team player for a little while!"

"Nyeh!' Lara growled, shoving Bebe aside and wading through the group of players she called her teammates. Her five step plan was suddenly sitting on a backburner as she wracked her brain over and over again for memories of that terrible sitcom. Everyone in her parent's age demographic couldn't get enough of it and they referenced it constantly. A dumb bunch of young adults going through their late twenties in that weird transition from twenty to thirty. The main couple was constantly bereted about their daughter not being a perfect little angel and that little brat reading terrible lines and being treated as cute was probably the most annoying aspect to Lara. Why this was taking over her plan to get rid of Yvonne was beyond her but she could at least focus her anger on that abysmal child actor while she loaded up towels.

* * *

 **The Sinister Sharks**

* * *

Phoebe had finished up with her workout in the gym and had just completed a lovely shower. The afternoon was already upon her meaning her time in first class was relatively limited and if she were being completely honest she wanted to be anywhere but in the suite. Her teammates were all trying to beat the heat and had basically overtaken the living room, eating from a disturbingly large selection of cold treats and freaking Roxie out beyond all compare. Ice cream and furniture were not a good mix, something Phoebe could agree with her teammate on. The only issue with the reward was a certain lactose allergy stuck right in Phoebe's DNA between Blonde Hair and Iron Deficiency, and if she was completely honest anyone who thought lactose free ice cream was good had gone mad.

"I need a menial task," Phoebe muttered to herself as she crossed the first class cabin. Everyone else was crowded around the television, enjoying the fact that it hadn't been hogged by Warren for once, they were all playing a racing game and shouting as they bonded. Phoebe put on a smile and watched them go for a few minutes. Five teammates crowded around it. Helden and Olga with controllers while Renee, Roxie, and Lloyd watched. Trevor and Raina were unaccounted for, meaning one was likely off hanging off Wilma's arm and the other was going to have an "Accidental" run in with her in the next few minutes.

Phoebe crossed the lounge in a few quick steps and opened the door to the outside. A heatwave rushed over her and tried its best to break the air conditioning before she was outside slamming the door behind her. She'd just let go of the doorknob when footsteps approached her from behind. A massive scowl crossed her face before she turned around to find Raina standing just outside of swinging distance with a nervous smile on her face.

"What do you want?" Phoebe demanded the second she saw her former team captain.

"Oh I was just, you know… Trying to exercise so I could keep up…" Raina trailed while scratching her arm. She was indeed clad in a tank top and thin workout shorts. Her hair being braided back also gave away some semblance of truth to what she was claiming. "Since you're so good with exercise I thought maybe I could ask you for some pointers."

"Try swimming," Phoebe replied with venom in her voice. "Just in case your lifeboat has a hole in it."

She didn't say anything else, or really hear anything else, she just stomped along the deck with her back hunched and her hands in her pockets. Every passenger was hidden away in their room so no one bothered her for drinks or made a joke about how she should lose again so she could give another good massage. She just wanted to be left alone as she stomped about the deck, pacing left and right around the abandoned pools and glaring at Natalie as she went.

She and Lara were definitely going to be problems, they had only egged her on in hopes of manipulating her into their corner, but if she was being a hundred percent honest with herself she'd never fall for that shlock. It seemed like everyone was starting to hit that point in the competition where they needed allies. Most of the riff raff had been cast off the ship already, the point where fingers could be directed at a weak player were dwindling and the threat of a merge meant everyone had to start making friends on other teams, but you had to be careful about who you made friends with, anyone could be shaking your hand with a knife behind their back. Phoebe knew she had to start playing that game too, find people on the other teams she could stick by and play the game with. Yet she didn't want to become a user like Raina or Natalie, she wanted honest to goodness players that would work hand in hand with her to get to the next segment, players like…

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING OUT HERE!" Liam's voice cut through the air causing Phoebe to look up at the Calamari player. He was atop one of the towers and leaning on the railing, staring down at Phoebe with half closed eyes. A soda from a minibar was clutched in his hands and Phoebe simply stared at him with mild confusion.

"Room five o' nine…" Phoebe muttered to herself before entering the bottom of the tower. She climbed the spiral staircase with her hands pocketed as she passed a series of larger suites that had been rented out by wealthier passengers. She could hear music coming from one room and various thuds from another, almost like a bunch of kids were having a pillow fight. When she reached the room in question and pushed the door open she found the place completely deserted. In fact, it didn't look like anyone was even staying there, which was a pity. It was a smaller version of first class, situated exactly opposite it with a balcony facing to the rear of the ship. A large bed with drapes sat in one bedroom and two adjacent rooms were designed for kids or groupies.

Liam was on the balcony with his shirt off and feet in the balcony pool. Phoebe opened the door from the high class room and was instantly hit by humidity. She fanned herself as she walked up to the edge of the pool under Liam's leering gaze.

"Weren't those pop idols from Korea staying here?" Phoebe asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, and they left yesterday, I'm in charge of cleaning up the room…" Liam laughed before he slipped completely into the pool and grinned mischievously. "Except I came up here last night and tidied it before dawn."

"Smart," Phoebe admitted before kicking her sandals off and sticking her feet into the cool water. A plastic floatie was bobbing around the pool in the shape of a duck, spilling chlorine into the water as it moved around. The entire balcony pool was excessive and wasteful, just the type of thing a millionaire would expect to come standard, that way they wouldn't have to rub elbows with the common folk.

"Why are you storming around in this heat?" Liam asked in a tone of genuine curiosity.

"Raina," Phoebe growled in response. "She thinks she can just talk to me normally after what she did, as if I'd forgive her for lying to me…"

"Hey at least you know who screwed you over," Liam laughed in response. "I have no idea who the letter writer is on me team… or if they're even on my team. Someone on this boat hates my guts and the sooner I find out the sooner I can turn a face into pulp."

"Do you even trust Natalie's word?" Phoebe asked as she gazed at the wake kicked up by the cruise ship.

"No… But after what happened with Raina…" Liam sighed before shaking his head and gazing down at the water. "Things were so much easier when the teams were first formed…"

"I know right," Phoebe chuckled with a shake of her own head. "Makes you kind of wish the teams had disbanded back in India. Then we'd be on new teams and Raina wouldn't have been gunning for anyone that found out her secret, and you wouldn't be targeted by someone who wants you gone."

"What I wish is that all these problems were just one person. If Natalie's creepy knowledge, Raina's manipulation, and these letters were all coming from one source of evil," Liam lamented with an exhale.

"I think Raina was a little too occupied with trying to eliminate whomever found out about her secret to pen a few letters," Phoebe smirked.

"I can still hope… for all we know she did it," Liam laughed before sinking further under the water. Phoebe laughed silently for a few seconds before gazing at the distant shoreline, some random African country along the coastline. The exact place wasn't important, what was important was that this challenge could potentially be the one she got to send Raina home for. She however wanted to extend the torture for as long as possible, make Raina feel all the days that passed in the same way Bryce must have felt as the days slipped past and he knew he was target number one with no chance of escape.

"Game time…" Phoebe exhaled.

* * *

A massive South African port was the destination for the teams and like on the ocean it was incredibly hot and humid. At least to those cruising around. Everyone in the city seemed very pleased by the weather, in fact, some were dressed up like it was chilly outside, a dressing choice that baffled more than one contestant. Chris had them all pile into a bus once they were ashore and he was having a field day with the temperature controls, blasting the heat like it was a tundra just to make the contestants squirm. Thankfully it wasn't long before they were pulling up to a gargantuan stadium with a parking lot that was completely deserted. Not a soul stood on the concrete and the bus was able to pull right up the stadium doors and release the contestants inside it.

"Here are your uniforms," an intern commented as they all stepped off the bus. Black shorts, team coded socks, and coloured jerseys were handed out. Everyone took a uniform and no time was wasted shoving them down hallways, girls down one and boys down the other. Rank smelling changing rooms greeted them at the ends of the journeys and everyone had to change into the clothes handed out. People like Erin stared at the Jerseys in confusion while people like Helden got absolutely giddy with excitement.

Everyone changed before walking out into the large deserted stadium to greet Chris standing in the center with a coy smile on his face. To anyone who was confused by the jerseys the field's layout made everything clear. Two soccer nets stood at opposite ends of the field and lines of chalk marked out a court. Camera crews were set up and the familiar black and white balls stood piled up next to the host. The mere sight of them was enough to make Helden start giggling and bouncing up and down in excitement.

"Welcome to one of the many homes of the world's most popular sport," Chris grinned while tossing a soccer ball up and down in his hands. "Soccer."

"Uh… Chris I think you means to refer to it as the footballs!" Helden responded before promptly receiving the ball in question right in the face.

"I am Canadian, it is soccer, if you have a problem with that you can take it up with the ref," Chris announced while motioning at Chef, who was clad in referee garb and holding a red card in his hand, whistle prepared to blow.

"Understood," Helden gulped as Chris picked up another ball.

"Today's challenge will be divided into three parts," Chris announced. "First you'll work as a team to score a goal, passing the ball to every member of your team before landing it in the net. The second part will involve intercepting a ball, and finally we'll have a good old fashioned series of penalty kicks. Each team will be rewarded with a score between one and four upon the end of a round, The team with the most points wins the challenge while the team with the least will send someone packing. Ties will be decided by previous standing, Sharks beat all, Whales beat Calamari and Plankton, and Calamari beat Plankton."

"I hate this," Lara muttered in an aggravated tone.

"Teamwork here is essential, you cannot succeed if you don't work together, and since I'm making all of you compete that means all of you all have to bring you're a game," Chris exclaimed.

"Right, Bebe?" Lara asked with a tone of annoyance in her voice.

"Like a team Lara," Yvonne responded while leaning in way too close for comfort.

"We'll start with The Sharks!" Chris exclaimed with a clap of his hands and a coy grin. "This should be interesting."

* * *

"Remember," Chris shouted at the eight players spread over the field. "You all must touch the ball in order to score a goal!"

Phoebe gave a deep exhale the moment Chris primed his whistle to blow. She'd staggered her team across the field so they'd waste as little time as possible. Olga was the obvious choice to kick them off but her aim was less than perfect, that left the first kick to fall directly on Phoebe's shoulders, next was Trevor, then Olga, followed by Lloyd and so on. If all went according to plan they'd be able to score a goal quicker than most teams despite the sheer numbers they had.

"Here we go," Phoebe exhaled just as the whistle blew. She took a running start and prepped a powerful kick. Her foot collided with the ball and it was sent sailing through the air, whizzing past lines of chalk drawn on the grass. It hit the grass and bounced into the air, landed on it again and began rolling. By that time it had cleared a massive distance of the field and actually overshot Trevor.

The boy took off after it and landed a huge kick to it sending it sailing through the air again. It bounded along until it approached Olga. She wasted no time in knocking it over to Lloyd. With less distance it was more accurate and Lloyd managed to capture it with his feet and bunt it over to Roxie. It rolled across the grass, bouncing and skipping whenever it hit some rough. Grass stains and some dirt were covering it, something that Roxie was definitely not pleased to come into contact with. She was visibly gagging as her foot made contact with the filthy ball that had no doubt touched hundreds of feet and never been disinfected.

Her kick was light and didn't travel far, something Phoebe had prepared for. Renee was nearby and received the ball without any issue. She whirled around, raised her foot, and gave it an absolutely perfect kick. It rolled in a perfectly straight line at just the right speed to allow Raina to prepare a kick. All she had to do was nail the ball and pass it to Helden, every eye was upon her as that perfect pass sailed towards her. She gave a hard kick that went right over the ball, allowing it to roll past her while she fell down on her rump from the awkward force thrown by her leg. She landed in a heap and there was an immediate scramble.

Chris was smiling through his whistle and holding the stopwatch in his hand, ready to stop it the second the team scored a goal, the only issue was that everyone had to hit the ball in order to score, and Raina had missed. Phoebe lowered her gaze angrily the second she saw Raina screw up and she wasted no time in picking up another ball and lobbing it across the field at Trevor with her foot. It was passed and kicked through a series of kickers until once again Renee turned and aimed the ball at Raina. A second kick was thrown and much to Phoebe's dismay Raina missed again.

She was in shock. How hard was it to see a ball coming at you and kick it as it rolled to your feet? Phoebe wasn't imagining it, Raina was literally missing perfect kicks that even preschool age kids could land. Everyone she knew could kick a soccer ball. Every kid in gym class, girl at sports camp, and toddler on the playground could kick around a ball. Literally every kid had that one skill, in fact, it was such an essential skill that Phoebe could only think of one explanation for Raina's missing, she was throwing the challenge.

Rage spiked in Phoebe as she picked up another ball, set it down, and took a running start at it. She lobbed it with enough power that it sailed right past all her teammates and bounced until it rolled right to Raina's feet. Phoebe couldn't see her teammate's face but she knew her field kick had definitely sent a message. She picked up a fourth ball and with a powerful kick sent it hurling to Trevor. It passed from person to person until finally Renee had it. She turned, reared back, and launched the ball at Raina. The former captain tensed up and with a sailing foot kicked the most pathetic bunt Phoebe had ever seen. She slapped her forehead but thankfully kept watching. Helden moved to intercept, caught it, bounced it into the air with his foot, and sent it sailing to the goal before it touched the ground again. All done without hands.

The rest of the team cheered but Phoebe could only clench her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white. She had to ask herself, besides lying and clearing trying to throw a challenge, what else had Raina done to harm other players in the game?

* * *

 **The Creepy Calamari**

* * *

In complete contrast to The Sharks, The Calamari had no issues batting the ball from player to player. They may not have had athletic masters like Stephen, Trevor, or Phoebe on their team but they also lacked anyone who was absolutely abysmal. The one exception to that rule was Stewart but his lack of caring only caused a single near miss. The guy could kick the soccer ball, in fact he had at least played it during gym class but he was in that strikingly bad mood he'd been in for practically the entire game, except it seemed even worse for the South African Challenge

He gave a loud sigh and kicked the ball towards the net when it soared in his direction. His apathetic kick made the ball roll slowly towards the goal, threatening to stop before it scored, but mercifully it rolled right in and Chris blew his whistle. A couple high fives were exchanged before they all shuffled off the field with murmurs of excitement and joy. They were replaced pretty swiftly by The Whimsical Whales and Liam took their free time away from the challenge to approach the one person he had a few questions for.

His hand fell on Louise's shoulder for what felt like the tenth time since India. There weren't any new questions on his mind, just the same ones, and the look Louise gave him signalled that the boy was done with the subject. He gave a loud sigh and turned to face Liam with pure annoyance scrawled upon his face.

"Who was it that told you where Frank would be?" Liam demanded while Louise rubbed the bridge of his nose with air rushing from his mouth.

"Liam, are you really going to let a player of an opposing team stir up drama in ours?" Louise demanded.

"She was right about Raina," Liam replied in protest.

"And what if that's all she knows and she's playing you for a fool!" Louise exclaimed before looking out at the field where Natalie had just kicked the ball into the net scoring the Whales a very quick goal. "What if it was really Lucile? What if it really was Nadie? What if it was someone from another team? Heck Natalie might have written those letters herself."

"I guess-" Liam started.

"Don't guess, that is the last thing you want to do in a game like this," Louise interrupted. "You don't want to step on the wrong person's toes or they might target you for the rest of the contest out of spite."

Liam rubbed the back of his head as the players on the field began changing. Louise gave an annoyed eye roll before turning around and walking towards everyone else on the team. As he went Liam shifted his gaze from Louise's back onto the series of blue players sitting on the bench over. Raina was strangely watching him instead of the game. A kind of distant look that could be interpreted as simply daydreaming before realizing there a stare involved. Liam however, narrowed his eyes as he recalled Phoebe's wish from that morning. The way she had desired every terrible person in the game to be rolled up into a single hate sink they could all target. Liam continued to watch Raina as suspicion grew in his eyes. If one wanted to make it to the next part of the game the best chance they had was to cause another team to fall apart, and Raina had a motive.

* * *

 **The Pathetic Plankton**

* * *

Raina's lack of skill with a soccer ball was put to absolute shame by the final team on the pitch. Zilka was great at the sport, Yvonne had enough finesse to pick it up right away, and Lara had was so competitive that the concept of her being outperformed in a sport was an insane notion. To add to this Diane was just fine at the game, no real skill or failure, she was just kind of there in the middle without much notable about her.

The entire team's failings rested on Bebe, and of course they rested on Bebe. She had about as much foot eye coordination as a drunken sailor with two peg legs. She was covered in grass stains, scuffed up, and sweaty by the time her team gave up on her and just began kicking the ball into the net with blank faces. She kept trying to get up, rising to her feet with a new grassy scrape on her knee and sweat clinging to her forehead. She wasn't going to give up, she had to succeed for her team.

They kicked opportunity after opportunity at her and she missed them all by either tripping over her own feet or having the ball collide with her stomach. She'd lost her lunch, gotten a taste of grass, and a bloody nose when the whistle was blown. A final ball came her way and she intensified her gaze, shifted her leg backwards, and prepared to intercept it. Her foot drove to the ground in a grandiose kick but the tip actually made contact with the grassy terrain and sent her toppling onto the soccer ball. It managed to strike her right in the gut, driving the wind right from her body. She rolled over with a groan while the sound of that whistle filled her ears and every single player remaining in the game filed onto the field. Twenty eight teenagers prepared to hear the good and bad news.

"I could've won that," Lara grumbled as she marched past Bebe. Her voice was low enough that Bebe knew she wasn't supposed to hear that little tidbit and she rubbed her eyes in embarrassment and shame. She got up pretty quickly after that and stood there in the midst of the group while Chris smiled and swept his gaze over the lot of them.

"Our first challenge ends with The Whales at four points, The Calamari at Three, The Sharks at two, and finally the Plankton at a single point," Chris beamed while hands planted themselves on his hips. "Onto the next challenge, stealing the ball from another player. Scores will be rewarded the same way, but you won't all be on the field at once this time. Your task is to work in pairs to steal a ball from another player on an opposing team. You'll have three chances to block an opponent and will be rewarded a point if you intercept their ball and score. However, if that player you're attempting to steal from gets past you and scores a goal they'll earn a point for their own team. Every player on each team must play at least once, after that its fair game… Now formulate an order and let's get kicking!"

* * *

The first team to kick was the current point leading team, The Whimsical Whales. The player with the ball had to approach the center line from across the field and once there they'd face competition for the ball. If it was stolen then the stealing team scored, but the catch was that if the player kicking got a goal they could keep a point. So naturally, The Whales decided to go for the most athletic of their team first. Stephen stood at the far end of the field facing his two opponents at the center line. Josh and Stewart from The Creepy Calamari had been selected to block him. Josh had lowered himself into a ready stance while Stewart simply stood there with his hands in the pockets of the soccer uniform he'd been given. He was exceptionally pale and the uniform didn't fit him well at all. Josh was in a similar boat with it being very clear that he wasn't exactly very sporty.

Their opponent however, was Stephen, a guy built like an athlete with large calves, and clear pecs poking through his shirt. The thing was pulled tightly over his broad chest and even the shorts framed his buttocks fairly well. His appearance was enough to intimidate his foes and make Natalie smile dreamily at him from the sidelines.

"Let's do this," Stephen grinned the second the air horn sounded. He was off in seconds, dribbling the ball with his feet while also managing to keep a steady pace. Josh moved into a defensive position while Stewart simply stood in place and watched Stephen approach with a blank facial expression.

The red player rushed forward with his feet sliding across the grass until he sidestepped Josh and bolted past with enough speed to cause Stewart's clothing to ripple. An open net meant Stephen was free to kick the ball from halfway down the field. It soared across the grass and ploughed right into the goal scoring a well-earned point for The Whimsical Whales. His arms shot skyward in a victorious pose while his team cheered. Josh fell on his rump in response while Stewart rolled his eyes and walked off the field apathetically.

Stephen was replaced pretty quickly as a kicker. Jason stepped onto the field with a dazzling smile and confidence leaking from his body. The way he was posed, leered at his opponents, and began bragging about his captain position on his school soccer team made Phoebe instantly bare her teeth in response. She was partnered with Renee and knew already that the redhead would be of no use in stealing the ball from Jason. She was on her own and despite Jason's bragging, he was clearly on the athletic side, though not as much as he'd like others to believe.

"This will be over in seconds," Jason chuckled as the whistle was blown and he was allowed to take off. He kicked the ball to and fro while keeping a steady and leisurely pace. He charged right for the middle of the two girls and at the last second changed directions towards Renee. A confident smile erupted on his face right before he kicked the ball right at Renee's face. Naturally she covered her face while the ball sailed over her shoulder. Jason caught up with it while laughing and gave it a tight kick while his smile blossomed into a coy look at Phoebe.

The sneer on his face told her everything she needed to know. The cocky wink, the cheesy grin, and infallible sparkle in his eyes hinted towards a belief that Phoebe was about to fail her team as a leader and a player. Jason thought he was some unparalleled god and that pissed Phoebe off. Her face ignited in rage before she thrust her body forward with three powerful steps and slid right in front of Jason. Grass sliced open her leg drawing off skin and mulching green into her knees and uniform. Her foot hit the ball, Jason tripped over her leg, and the stars somehow aligned to gift Renee with the ball.

"NO!" Jason shrieked as soon as he was done with his tumble. He spat out grass and gave chase after Renee. He was clearly faster, more athletic, and knowledgeable of the game, but none of that could get him caught up to the lead Phoebe had bought her teammate. The ball sailed into Jason's net when he was still a good five strides from Renee. A whistle was blown and The Sharks were now on the board.

"Maybe that'll humble him," Phoebe muttered as she pulled herself off the grass. Jason's turn and chuckle told her it didn't. It just told her he believed his loss was a fluke, something that would definitely repeat itself if he ever ended up in a lifeboat.

The third matchup was between Wilma on The Whales and Lara paired with Diane for The Plankton. Wilma had her hair tied back in an expertly crafted ponytail that spoke volumes of her experiences with sports. She was trimmed like an athlete, held her body confidently, and was staring at her foes, formulating a plan for every movement they made.

Lara had tried her best to tie her hair back but it was more akin to the hairstyle you'd see on a fast food worker than an athlete. Lara never did have time for sports and was definitely under the opinion that they were a waste of time. Diane was meanwhile a perpetual benchwarmer that had quickly been outclassed by her little sister the second they were on the same team. Sure she'd played sports but she had always failed to excel at them.

A whistle blew and things were over way too quickly for comfort. Wilma was fast, prepared, and coordinated. She blocked any attempts Lara and Diane made to steal the ball and rocketed past them without ever slowing down. Lara gave chase but she couldn't keep up with the strides coming from Wilma's long and experienced legs. She rushed across the grass, losing the strongest Plankton player without even a pause. The ball was in the net seconds later and Wilma was running past the bench handing out high fives seconds later. She then overshot the bench, landed a slap on Trevor's hand, and whirled around to sit.

Lara and Diane meanwhile shuffled to the bench and Lara couldn't help but glance over at her teammates. Bebe was giving her a thumbs up of encouragement while Zilka and Yvonne spoke in hushed tones. The whispering made her scowl heavily and take her seat in a huff, blowing stray hairs from her face and thanking the stars she'd be able to play as much as she wanted once they were done cycling through the others. Then and only then would she be able to prove that her teammates needed her to succeed.

* * *

The Creepy Calamari were next on the field and Liam was serving as their opening player. His opponents were Deek and Brad from The Whimsical Whales and since neither was even the slightest bit sporty it was a foregone conclusion. Raina was perfectly fine with watching Liam annihilate the other teams from the sidelines but someone decided to take advantage of Liam's distraction. A pair of arms grabbed her from behind and dragged her away from her team, not that anyone noticed her absence. She was twisted around quickly and had the front of her shirt grabbed. She was then pulled in ridiculously close to Louise's head and got a full view of his barred teeth and nose dotted with blackheads.

"What's going on with Natalie?!" Louise demanded through his clenched teeth. Raina blinked and turned her gaze to look at Natalie but had her chin grabbed and her face jolted back to Louise before she could make the full turn. "Don't look at her you idiot!"

"Sorry," Raina apologized before pushing Louise away a little. He still had her shirt captured like he might wind back his free hand and make her nose an innie, but she could at least breathe fresh air. She quickly swallowed her nerves and looked at Louise's angry face, "Natalie revealed I was lying to my team…"

"And you were in fact lying?" Louise demanded in response.

Raina nodded in response while a look of pure anger crossed Louise's face. Cheering interrupted them as Liam scored a goal for his team and Nadie took the field in his place while Olga paired up with Roxie on defense. Liam rushed by but didn't seem to notice the way Louise was gripping the front of Raina's shirt. The second he sat down Louise had his eyes back on Raina with bitterness clinging to his lip.

"Well thanks to you, Natalie's able to spread believable lies and they're making their way to me," Louise hissed before tugging Raina towards him. "I might get eliminated and it'll be your fault."

"My fault?" Raina gulped while Louise's eyes filled with a ton of irritation.

"Did I stutter?!" Louise demanded before taking in a deep breath and locking eyes with her again.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do anything about that," Raina muttered while flinching backwards in fear.

"And that's where you're wrong, you're headed to elimination one way or another," Louise muttered with an intense gaze into Raina's eyes. "So I want you to play into Natalie's little lie about Frank not writing those terrible letters. If you claim to have written them then I won't be eliminated because of paranoia."

"You want me to lie again?!" Raina demanded in a slightly loud tone that was thankfully drowned out by the sound of Olga swiping the soccer ball from Nadie and scoring a goal. It didn't stop Louise from clamping his hand over Raina's mouth though. They remained locked like that for a few seconds before Louise pulled her close again.

"Listen here girly, if you want to do one good thing with your wretched little lying mouth you'll admit to messing with my team. If not you can live with the guilt of causing me to fall overboard," Louise hissed, causing Raina to pale. He then thrust her to the ground, pocketed his hands, and marched out onto the field to where the soccer ball was waiting. Yvonne and Zilka were playing defense and Raina approached the Calamari bench from the back with her heart pounding. Louise took his position but her eyes were scraped right off the scene and put onto Liam and Nadie on the bench.

"If you ask me it was a little too coincidental that Louise knew where to find Frank," Nadie muttered to Liam as the boy they were talking about ran across the field with a soccer ball being batted between his feet.

"That would mean he threw Frank under the bus to save his own skin," Liam added in a tone that made Raina swallow hard.

To make matters worse Louise just so happened to lose his ball to Yvonne. He fell onto the ground while The Plankton moved in for their first goal. Raina swallowed deeply and gazed down at her own hand quivering at the end of her arm. She recalled her desire from the confessional the day prior. If she could just make it up to one person she'd consider the game a success. She bit her own lip and looked over at Phoebe. Maybe, just maybe, Phoebe would see a selfless act in reruns and maybe, just maybe, she'd forgive her for her lying.

* * *

The third team kicking was The Sinister Sharks and their opening player was Helden. If his earlier kick hadn't been scary enough to the other teams the way he was stretching was definitely freaking people out. The guy was flexible to an uncanny degree and was stretching by bringing his foot above his shoulder from behind. This combined with the blonde manbun he'd tied up made him look like some sort of uber hipster, but what gave away his true personality was the brilliant smile on his face. A look of absolute joy that seemed to be right at home on the soccer pitch.

"Ah, reminds me of football games in the home country," He chuckled to himself, though he was used to it snowing at the same time as the game occurred. No matter to him though, he was in his element on the soccer pitch and the second the whistle blew he was off like a bolt of lightning.

"He's fast…" Lucile managed to spit out right before Helden launched the ball at high speed right under her legs and cleared Kiara like she was a hurdle. He hit the ground running and landed a solid kick on the ball from right past the center line. The ball rocketed over the field before crashing right into the net with a small crack from the sheer speed behind the kick. A whistle was blown and Helden gave a loud giggle before hurrying away in an effeminate manner, almost like he was a professional ballerina or something.

He was quickly replaced by Lloyd, who had minimal experience with soccer. He'd not really played any sports for that matter, all except hunting. Hunting was his favorite sport, and when you finished that you got food. The idea of kicking a ball around for an hour and a half was stupid. The only sport he cared about was Hockey and he'd never skated on ice before. He and his dad were big fans of the game and often sat down with the rest of his family to watch the playoffs. Soccer was just dumb in his mind but he was also one of the more athletic members of his team despite the relative skinniness of his body.

Erin and Natalie were standing at center line and through Erin looked nervous Natalie looked confident and ready to steal a ball, not that Lloyd could imagine her doing so. He was from a farming town and he knew what a tough girl looked like, Natalie was too prissy to beat him at anything.

The whistle was quickly blown and Lloyd took off running, trying his best to recall playing the sport on the field as a kid. It was one of those dumb games they were forced to play in gym class. He fumbled left a lot and Natalie followed him along the border. He wasn't exactly sure how to block her, hoping that he could instead outrun her. But he kicked the ball a little hard and within seconds he was stumbling and she was running the opposite direction with the ball between her feet. Lloyd turned around to watch her score but didn't really give any effort towards chasing her. He just scratched his face and waited for the whistle to blow. Why would he throw in the extra effort when he was safe for at least one more elimination anyway?

The final player from The Sharks to aim for a goal was none other than Trevor. He stretched his arms out, hopped from foot to foot, and grinned as he stared at the two blocking him at the other end of the field. It was one on one thanks to Bebe's terrible coordination. She'd tripped four times on her way out onto the field so there was no way she'd magically get good at what she was doing. Lara was there but one opponent was easier than a duo.

The second the whistle was blown he was off. He didn't even look at Bebe, instead focusing his eyes on Lara and her movements to block him. She clearly had no experience in soccer and Trevor reached her quickly, sidestepped her without even a blink, and rushed the goal with a heavy stride and a powerful kick. The ball crashed into the open net and his team reached a score of four without any competition whatsoever. He smiled brightly in response and gave Lara a coy look.

"Better luck next round, love," Trevor chuckled as he rushed off the field. Lara growled in response but couldn't really do much about it. The score was sitting at four for the Sharks, three for the Whales, and one for the Calamari. If she could score every point in the final round then her team would be tied with the Sharks and she could still pull of a win.

* * *

Lara was first up as a kicker for her team and opposing her were two players from The Whimsical Whales. Elsa was mandated to go but now the red team could pick anyone they wanted to pair with her and that choice couldn't have been more predictable. Stephen was there once again, bouncing on the tips of his toes in preparation for the ball about to come his way. Lara cracked her neck left and right while staring him down. This was her chance to get her groove back. It had faltered since Australia but she was absolutely certain that things would finally go her way. Once she was back to carrying her entire team they'd see just how lucky Yvonne had gotten.

The whistle was blown and Lara took off across the grass. Her feet rhythmically bunted the soccer ball as she crossed the distance between her and The Whimsical Whales. Once she got close though, she slowed down and put her guard up. Footstep by footstep she approached the center line and as she did Stephen prepared himself. Lara knew she only had one way of scoring, and that was to skirt around Elsa and force a collision with the two players. So she suddenly changed direction.

Instead of being shocked by Lara's sudden directional change Elsa broke into a slide. Her feet made contact with the ball and sent it careening out of Lara's grasp. Her legs also provided a medium to trip on and Lara found herself face planting in the grass while Elsa got to her feet and slid over to the ball again, her shoes kicking up mud and grass as she went. She then locked her foot around the ball and sent it sailing towards Stephen with a single fluid motion. Every part of her body settled into a pose akin to a dancer while Lara stared at the girl with shock written on her face.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

Elsa is in the midst of reapplying some eye shadow while she stands in the confessional with a smile on her face. "I have been on every sports team my school offers since I first entered junior high. Once they had me pick between curling and badminton, my mother convinced them to move the entire badminton season for the entire school district just so I could do both. To think Lara thought I hadn't played soccer before, what a joke!"

* * *

"I'm next!" Zilka exclaimed while Lara pulled herself off the grass.

"NO!" Lara exclaimed in response before grabbing her teammate by the shoulders and steering her back around to the bench. Zilka trotted a few steps before stopping. Any argument on her lips was driven from her body though the second she saw the face Lara was pulling.

The two Whimsical Whale players were replaced by Helden and Raina. Since Raina had been picked last Lara could only assume she was absolutely pathetic. Helden was a problem though. He was built athletically with broad shoulders and a slim lower body perfect for running and jumping. If she could just use Raina as an obstacle, or better…

Lara's grin spread wickedly the second the whistle was blown. She rushed forward with the soccer ball and after covering about half the ground between her and her foes she ground to a near halt. She moved forward slowly, creeping up until she had perfect aim. Then she reared back her foot and sent the soccer ball careening right towards Raina. It slammed into the girl's gut but her hands must have slowed it or something because it plunked down on The Shark's side of the line.

Helden was on the ball within seconds. His feet had it between them and he rushed towards Lara without any hesitation. He zigzagged back and forth until he suddenly changed direction and blew right past her with the ball still in his possession. He then reared back and landed another perfect kick into the goal. The whistle sounded and Lara began grinding her teeth together in response. Helden and Raina departed the field while Yvonne made a motion to replace Lara. Lara held up a hand to stop her teammate from moving forward though. Yvonne held the most deadpan look in response with her lip curled back in annoyance. She then made a movement as if to blow hair from her face but the tiny stubble she still had was doing nothing more than jutting straight out of her scalp in tiny little fibres.

Liam and Louise were the duo to take up defense. Since both they and The Plankton were at one point each it was safe to say the round depended on the next kick and Lara wasn't going to make any mistakes. She decided to approach them at a snail's pace and simply wait for distraction to overtake their minds. The boys were tense at first but her plan was clearly working as they very quickly stood up straight and watched her from afar.

"Taking her time huh?" Louise muttered.

"Pretend your guard's down," Liam responded in a quiet tone.

"Well, while we're safe from prying ears I think I just discovered who wrote those letters…" Louise muttered while gazing over at Liam. A look of surprise erupted on the captain's face.

"I thought you didn't trust Natalie," Liam muttered while narrowing his eyes.

"I didn't… at least until Raina threatened me," Louise mumbled as he turned his eyes towards Lara, just in case she was making a move.

"You expect me to believe that Raina wrote those letters…" Liam chuckled with a shake of his head. "How gullible do you think-"

"Did Natalie say the author of the letters was on our team?" Louise asked curiously causing Liam's laugh to falter.

"No… She just said I got the wrong guy…" Liam muttered while gazing downwards.

"And guess who was backstage all through Sydney," Louise stated with a cross of his arms, "She knows she's in a hole and doesn't want another secret getting out."

"It fits almost too well," Liam muttered right before Lara made her move. She blew right past the two of them and by the time Liam shook his head and got to moving she'd already scored a goal. The whistle was blown and while The Calamari complained and whined Chris flipped through some papers and called for quiet. He announced that The Whales were leading with seven points and The Plankton were dragging behind with only three, but Liam couldn't be bothered to listen. He just stared at Raina from across the small patch of grass and she happened to catch him looking.

She blinked twice and averted her gaze upon noticing his stare, returning it when she thought he'd stopped. He hadn't and her nervous look made his own gaze harden suspiciously. He buried his hand into his pocket and though no one could see it he drew out a lighter and began flicking it on and off in an attempt to control his rage. Thankfully for Raina it just so happened to work.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

Raina rubs her arm as if it's in pain before looking right at the camera with worry.

* * *

"Your final challenge of the day is to land as many penalty kicks as possible within a two minute time limit," Chris explained as he tossed a soccer ball up and down, "Each team will pick a kicker to go up against a goalie in hopes of scoring a point. The team with the highest score wins four points while the team with the lowest earns a single point. Plankton you're in net first,"

Chris didn't really need to give them any time seeing as Lara had quickly shoved her teammates aside and marched over to the goal without any discussion. Yvonne watched this occur and glanced over at Zilka and Diane with half closed eyes the second their former captain was out of earshot.

"If we lose this she goes home," Yvonne stated in a deadpan tone.

"Of course," Zilka nodded.

"No contest with her," Diane agreed.

Lara was quickly joined on the field by a player from each team. Stephen, Helden, and Nadie all craned their necks and stretched while facing off against Lara. No one knew who was supposed to go first and it seemed as though argument was about to break out. Thankfully this was resolved by Chris marching over and simply moving them into a single file line. Stephen first, Nadie second, and Helden last. He then took a few steps back and blew on his whistle.

Stephen wasted no time in delivering a solid kick to the ball. It zipped right at Lara and hit her square in the gut. It however counted as a block so the boy gave a huff and rushed to the back of the line. Lara was immediately surprised by how quickly Nadie was kicking. A second ball was rushing her before she could even react and it roared right past her head and landed right in the net. This was immediately followed by a perfect kick from Helden that also scored and then the order started all over again.

Since they were on the clock none of the kickers were taking their time. They were bashing their feet into the balls as quickly as they could and when Nadie hesitated for a mere second she was shoved from behind and ordered to hurry it up. Lara quickly realized she was absolutely outmatched. Stephen was an athlete and Helden was bizarrely good at soccer leaving only Nadie to struggle behind them. She tried her best and her best was at least half decent. The only issue was that she was not a soccer kid and her kicks were the easiest for Lara to block. In fact while the other two began steaming ahead Lara took it upon herself to target every ball Nadie kicked. She didn't move to block a score from Helden or try at least intercept the balls from Stephen. She instead put all her eggs in the basket that was screwing Nadie over and it just so happened to be working. By the time the whistle blew the scores were ludicrously high. Helden had eight points while Stephen sported six. Nadie however had a measly two points to her name and she was clearly furious.

The whistle was blown and a switch occurred on the field. Jason took to the goal while Phoebe, Kiara, and Zilka took to the kicking. Seconds after the whistle had been blown a hand fell on Raina's shoulder from behind and whirled her around before slamming her against a wooden support post. Liam loomed over her and he looked absolutely livid.

"Hello Raina," Liam stated through grit teeth in an attempt to be friendly. It didn't work to hide his façade and Raina couldn't do anything more than swallow nervously.

"H-Hey Liam," Raina stammered before he moved even closer to her.

"Louise told me that you wrote a pair of very insulting letters," Liam growled while clenching his fist so hard the knuckles turned white.

"H-He d-did?" Raina stuttered in response.

"Yeah… Care to tell me if HE'S LYING?!" Liam demanded while raising his fist into the air.

Raina stared at that fist with her eyes quivering and drifted her gaze over to where Phoebe had just scored another goal. Her eyes also drifted over where Louise sat watching them with a neutral expression. Raina bit her cheek and swallowed her pride before clenching her eyes shut and gritting her teeth.

"He's not lying," Raina gulped right before that fist landed right in her gut. Wind was driven from her body and she collapsed on the ground with tears of pain running down her face. She couldn't help it and choked out some pained tears while Liam stared down at her with his nostrils flared and every insulting thing that had been put in those letters flickering behind his eyes. He probably would have said more but the whistle was blown calling Liam onto the field to defend his goal. He wrinkled his nose and looked down at Raina one last time before marching onto the field while Chris called out the scores. Sharks were now sitting at fourteen points, Whales were at six, Calamari were at five, and Plankton were at four.

It took Raina a few seconds to pull herself off the ground and wipe the tears off her left eye but the second she did she had another presence looming over her. A hand swung through the air slapped her cheek incredibly hard. She didn't even have time to react, she could only stumble backwards in pain and look up to see several of her own teammates standing right in front of her.

"Just when I thought you couldn't stoop any lower," Phoebe growled in a cross tone, "You knew you'd be caught didn't you?! So you just started messing with the other teams!"

"I-" Raina started.

"Save it!" Phoebe exclaimed while jabbing a finger right into Raina's chest, "You thought you could just cause turmoil on another team and coast by, well guess what! You're competing now!"

"What?!" Raina demanded in shock.

"And if you lose it for us we'll get the pleasure of cutting you loose, before a merge," Trevor added with a narrow of his eyes. The team then broke apart and drifted off into small muttering groups. Raina gazed at them all with a sense of panic filling her eyes. As she did Louise walked past her with a smug look plastered on his face. Raina stared at it with a bit of shock coating her eyes and the boy gave a small silent chuckle.

"Thanks for your help," Louise grinned in a tone that couldn't be described as anything but mocking. Raina felt her mouth fall open while Louise twisted around and stepped away with a glaring grin on his face. Raina was left with a silent knowledge that she'd just been played hard.

* * *

The Sinister Sharks were in the lead by a rather large stretch when Raina was shoved right in front of that goalie net and faced by Wilma, Yvonne, and Louise. The latter was grinning at her evilly and she could feel a general anger being directed right at her from the people watching things unfold. She'd been played for a fool. Now she'd be targeted by everyone in the game and Louise would get off scot free. She was furious and about six seconds from grinding her teeth together in rage. The only issue was that she was about to be the victim to a series of kicks from a bunch of soccer balls.

The whistle was blown and Louise took his first kick. It sailed right at Raina and his aim was good enough to knock the ball into Raina and score a goal at the same time.

"Sorry, not sorry," Louise laughed as he hurried past. Raina found herself in the same situation as the previous goalies in that moment. The kickers were not letting up with their quick offensive blows. Soccer balls ploughed into the net behind her and a few even hit her. They weren't light hits either, they were massive blows that would wind her or send a pained tingle up her arms or down her legs. Louise was back on her quick and his entire point seemed to be tormenting her. He was aiming for body shots and didn't seem to care about Raina's wellbeing.

After about five balls had hit the net Raina began to dive after anything that moved. She managed to kick away a Plankton Ball, catch a Whale Ball, and deflect one of Louise's shots with her foot. That simple kick gave her an idea and that idea began to formulate further as she kicked and shoved more and more balls away from her. The timer was counting down and she was getting grass stains on her clothes and nasty scrapes on her skin from all the sliding she was doing. Green grass mulch was stained right in the cracks of her skin and she was beginning to look more and more dishevelled by the second. She panted and rubbed her arm seconds before Chris brought the whistle to his mouth and Louise prepared the final kick of her turn in the net.

"Enjoy elimination for me," Louise smiled before kicking the ball right at Raina. It was one of those hard kicks meant to be lobbed right at her knee and send her collapsing to the ground but it was low and she raised her leg in response. The ball hit her foot and she managed to put enough force behind it to send it caterwauling back. Louise's eyes widened seconds before the soccer ball ploughed right into his gut and knocked him over. The second it did the whistle was blown and Raina was marching right off the field. She had commitment and a sense of force to her face that made others back away. At least until she halted right before Liam and stared him right in the eyes.

"I lied to you," Raina announced. "Louise demanded that I claim responsibility for those letters so he didn't get unfairly eliminated. Except after the fact he got all belligerent with me. I think the gut suspicion you have about him is correct."

Liam blinked in response to this but Raina knew her honesty was meaningless.

"I know you probably don't believe me considering my track record, but I thought you at least deserved the truth…" Raina trailed before turning away from the yellow player and giving her attention to Chris who had just sounded an air horn. Twenty eight teenagers quickly surrounded the host who seemed pretty satisfied with the footage captured.

"I won't keep you from the Showers for long," Chris announced while waving his clipboard in front of his nose like something reeked, "The winning team today is The Sinister Sharks with ten points…"

A series of cheers and whoops escaped the mouths of the blue team in response to this.

"In second place were The Whimsical Whales with nine points… So close and yet so far…" Chris continued.

A collective groan was his response.

"In third place were The Pathetic Plankton, you ladies get to see another day," Chris smiled while sighs of relief were given, "And finally The Creepy Calamari, seven soon to become six. I'll see your sorry butts at elimination tonight!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"My teammates better not believe that lying little minx!" Louise exclaims while pointing right at the camera.

* * *

The second The Sharks had occupied first class Raina found herself being thrust up against a wall by Phoebe. She had a slight pain from being thrown up against it and she was quite certain that her team captain intended to harm her in some way. Whether that harm would be physical or emotional was left in the air but the fear remained all the same.

"So now Louise wrote the letters huh?!" Phoebe demanded while glaring at Raina.

"Yes, he tricked me into thinking he was innocent, so I thought that maybe if I did something nice to him you'd see I didn't mean to lie to you," Raina replied while preparing herself to receive a punch.

"So you decided to make up for your lying, by lying," Phoebe sighed before releasing Raina.

Raina quickly shrunk down, letting her shoulders falter and her hands come together. Her left rubbed her right nervously while she looked up at the taller girl.

"There are no shortcuts to forgiveness Raina," Phoebe growled while turning around and beginning to stalk away. She paused a few paces away and looked back with her eyes narrowed. "And just because I realize Louise was manipulating you doesn't mean everyone will buy your alibi."

"I know…" Raina mumbled while looking at the ground. "There are… There are consequences to my actions."

Phoebe simply gave a huff in response and walked down the hallway, quickly disappearing into her room, likely to change for a shower. Raina could only stand in the hallway as several of her teammates walked past her, making sure to skirt around her like she was infectious. She was dirty, sweaty, and coated in grass stains and no one even bothered to ask if she was alright. It was a rather disheartening realization. The realization that she was definitely alone in the competition and that her idiocy had led to an even deeper hole.

* * *

When Lucile finally found Liam she wasn't the least bit surprised to find him staring off into the sunset in a relatively lost way. The world had cooled down considerably and the second that sun set they'd be out on the rear deck booting someone off. It wasn't a mystery as to what was bothering Liam. For the past few days he'd been bereted with information from multiple sources that all conflicted. Had Frank written the letters or was it Raina or Louise? Liam wasn't even sure he had the right suspect in his line of fire and yet he was there being called upon to make a decision again. He'd been leading the charge to find things out and now everyone was expecting him to address the group and point a finger. The only issue was that he was rather apathetic towards that idea. There was a good chance he'd miss the little cretin that had written those letters, on the flipside there was an equally good chance he was being played.

"We're just waiting for your call Liam," Lucile piped up as she approached the railing Liam was leaning on.

Liam just sighed the second she got close and glanced out into the sunset, "When did things become so needlessly dramatic?"

"You had to know it would get that way eventually," Lucile replied with a shake of her head.

"Oh things were from the get-go… But we always seemed above it… Y'know?" Liam asked as he lowered his gaze and let out an exhale. "We're down to six players tonight, just one above the Plankton. I just don't know who to cut…"

"Do you regret cutting Frank?" Lucile asked curiously.

"Not really… He wasn't exactly benefitting the team in any way, plus for all I know we're just being played by Natalie…" Liam lamented with an exhale through his nose. "Louise could be up to something or he couldn't. I'm either eliminating the wrong guy tonight or I eliminated the wrong guy in Australia. That bothers me."

"I know," Lucile nodded before patting Liam on the shoulder. It was only then that she realized Liam had been flicking a lighter on and off like it was some kind of calming tic. She watched the small mechanism burst to life and die several times before patting Liam's shoulder again and turning around. She made her way to the edge of earshot and paused. "Just come downstairs with a decision soon, or you may become a target thanks to a split vote."

"Just give me five more minutes to think," Liam replied with a quick wave of his hand. Then Lucile was gone and he was left alone with his thoughts for a little longer.

* * *

The seven players remaining on The Creepy Calamari moved towards the elimination deck at a slow pace, making sure to drag their feet in order to hold off the inevitable a little longer. Thirteen elimination days at sea had resulted in four losses for the team and they were suddenly finding themselves in the same ballpark as The Pathetic Plankton.

The rear deck was moodily lit and Chris stood there with intimidation on his face. The only problem was that the place had kind of lost its magic by this point. Most of the team felt secure and they'd been down to the elimination deck so much that it was no longer shocking. They mostly just wanted to go to bed. To hurry up and lop off one fourteenth of the team so they could go mop the hallways or whatever Chis had planned. Then they could hope that the next country they landed in would be tailored for their skillset.

General highlights on the team included Louise's livid and rather frightened looking face. An expression he was blaming on Raina's lying and Natalie's fearmongering. In reality he was just upset his cover had been potentially blown and the concept of going home and losing out on a million dollars was annoying him. Liam meanwhile looked glum, mostly in part to what he could potentially allow to survive or die. Then there was Stewart who had caused most of the foot dragging. The guy did not want to get back to work and was intent of dragging the elimination out as long as possible.

"Welcome to your fourth elimination ceremony Calamari," Chris exclaimed while holding his hands out. "I see a couple of tension laden faces and just have to say, mmm this is absolutely delicious. The ratings your inner team drama will score will be unbelievable!"

"Just get on with it," Liam ordered with a cross of his arms.

"But the sooner you vote the closer you get to potentially making a huge mistake… Or did you already make it?" Chris asked with a chuckle.

Liam didn't respond and chose to instead glare right at Chris and resist the urge to break out his lighter.

"And Louise, didn't Liam promise to eliminate you back in Alaska?" Chris asked.

"He promised to eliminate Jules, Stewart, and I but has only made good on one of those in three eliminations. It's safe to say things have changed," Louise muttered in response while crossing his arms. "But apparently Natalie knows the inner workings of our team despite not being on it."

"And Stewart, are you making the same vote as always?" Chris asked.

"Yes," Stewart replied in a quick and bored tone. His response made everyone blink and look around for a little bit trying to recall who had received their mints last in the past.

"Well them, time to vote!" Chris exclaimed.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

Stewart stamps a passport without any hesitation and leaves with only five seconds recorded on the confessional camera.

Liam scratches his head and stares at the passport he's about to stamp. After a short pause he plunks the stamper down on it. "You made a mistake a while ago, I have to take that into account too…"

"Liam better not kick me off this ship. I made a promise to myself and that promise was to outlast Liam. I will make it whether he catches onto me or not!" Louise shouts while pointing at the camera and hitting the stamper hard against the passport in question.

"Something tells me this game is only going to become more complicated as we move forward," Lucile sighs as she hits her stamper against a passport.

* * *

"The following players are safe…" Chris trailed as he lifted the first of seven mints. "Josh!"

Josh gave a deep exhale before catching the mint that had been thrown his way.

"Kiara…" Chris continued with another well aimed cheaply wrapped candy. "Lucile…"

No reaction flowed from Lucile, she knew she was safe after all. She was quickly joined by Liam and Nadie, both of whom had little to no reaction to their own safety. This left only Stewart and Louise without mints and Louise grew a nervous look while Stewart simply stared blandly at Chris. The mint raised into the air and Chris spread his mouth into a twisted grin.

"The final mint goes to…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

… Louise…" Chris concluded as he tossed the final mint at Louise. The boy caught it and gave a sly leftward glance at Stewart who stood up and gave a deep exhale of relief. "Looks like voting for yourself finally paid off!"

"Wait, you voted for yourself… Every time we came here?" Josh asked in bafflement while Stewart turned around.

"Yep," Stewart replied in an apathetic tone. "It all started on day one when we were forced to work our skin to the bones for a bunch of ungrateful passengers. Alaska was no better and it became clear we were only here to act as free labour for Chris. So when Liam threatened me in Alaska I decided to increase the odds by voting for myself every time we came down here. But instead of leaving in five or less days I ended up surviving twelve eliminations plus the days when we didn't have challenges. It was a type of torture that reminded me of my terrible stepmom and the way she makes me clean the house every time we have company coming. The toilet scrubbing, vacuuming, and other maid worthy activities were only amplified here and I needed an out, so every elimination ceremony I stamped my own passport. But Liam just had to go ahead and break his promise, eliminating Bubba and Frank before me. Now my stepmom is going to see all the cleaning I did here and expect more from me. I'll be treated just like my stepsisters and forced into the family business, all because you losers had to get involved in drama."

"Are you done?" Chris asked with a raised eyebrow while Stewart marched over to the lifeboat of losers and stepped inside it.

"I hate you all and I hope you all lose!" Stewart shouted before Chris released the hold keeping Stewart on deck and sent him plunging into the water below. What followed was a bunch of awkward glances between the members of the team and a few shrugs indicating that things had kind of just worked out. Liam and Louise however had their minds on a different subject. Specifically asking themselves who would go now that Stewart was officially off the cruise ship.

* * *

"HURRY UP I'M MISSING LASTING DAYS!" The obese woman on the bed shouted at Lara. She looked like a stereotypical grandma crossbred with the most annoying soccer mom in the western hemisphere. Some lady who had decided to dye some of her hair pink to get with the youth or whatever. Lara thought it was pathetic, even more pathetic was the mess she'd made out of the cords to her television. The lady didn't know how a remote worked and had changed the input. She'd then decided to mess around with the cables before calling for help and barking at Lara like it was her fault the TV was broken.

The woman was unhelpful in regards to what she'd done and kept denying even touching the cords. Spittle and angry comments flew from her mouth while her ugly sagging jowls flopped around. She was hideous in every description of the word and Lara's mood was not lifted by the fact the lady wanted to watch a lame family sitcom from sixteen years ago. Her mind was put into an even worse state by her own skill at rewiring the television. It came back on and she was greeted with a solid thirty seconds of what was supposed to be humour.

That little annoying brat was about four in the shot meaning it was from one of the later seasons, to make it even more annoying she just so happened to say the joke of the episode. Some misunderstanding about a sexual reference because kids are wacky and all that. The little girl was done up in the most sickly sweet outfit to boot. A pink shirt and overalls that were absolutely free of logos alongside pigtails. The dad and mom chuckled at the terrible humour and their exchanged a kiss to the sound of an obnoxious laugh track as producer credits began popping up on screen.

Lara however, got an earful from the woman about how she'd just missed her episode and blah blah blah. Lara listened for about six seconds before the cast credit rolled across the screen in front of her and made her eyes go wide and her ears go deaf. Listed right on the bottom, the seventh credit to be exact, right under the main cast was the little girl who had been thrown in as a cheap way to get viewers to tune in. That kid was played by a girl named Yvonne. The exact same Yvonne on Lara's team to be exact. The last name matched, the hair colour clicked, and that obnoxious smile was identical. With twelve years of aging added atop them, but still the same face.

"SHE'S RICH!" Lara shouted angrily.

"Excuse me?" The old woman asked with a blink.

"SHUT UP!" Lara yelled in response before staring at the television where another episode of that god forsaken show was starting again. A show that had been all over airwaves for years on end. Yvonne would have been like eight when it ended. She was a main cast member in an exceptionally popular show with tons of merchandise and top billed actors and yet she was there on Total Drama like a common scrub looking for change. Lara felt her eye twitch and a growl form over her face so fast it was almost distracting.

The evening of work passed in a blur with multiple room calls to replace light bulbs and fix television sets. She held the same expression through all of it. She even held that expression while preparing for bed, changing into her pajamas, and climbing into the bunk right above the rich little brat that had bereted her eyes for years. She ended up staring at the ceiling for some time, completely angered and ready to strangle the girl below her. The ineptitude with laundry, the strange knowledge of high class foods, and just about everything was clicking together. All forming a concept that Yvonne was only there for one reason and one reason only. That reason was exposure. Not just as a struggling actress as Lara had thought but as a top billed one that was sitting on money and just wanted the thrill of high paying jobs and fame.

"Just you wait, when I expose you…" Lara hissed while peering over the edge of her bed at Yvonne below her. Her smile spread into a twisted and contorted grin of malice and she began chuckling to herself silently while formulating a plan.

"They know," Yvonne suddenly piped up causing Lara's voice to catch in her throat while Yvonne's eyes pricked open with that same brown Lara had hated all those years. "You're next and there's nothing you can do but pray we merge soon."

"Why are you even here?" Lara demanded with a narrow of her eyes.

"Need a new contract," Yvonne replied before shutting her eyes again. "I should ask you the same question."

"You wouldn't understand," Lara muttered before rolling over and pulling the blankets over her body with a huff. "You'd never understand…"


	14. Imposter Syndrome

**Total Drama Ocean Cruise**

 **Chapter XIV: Imposter Syndrome**

 **Written By: The Firebending Frog**

* * *

Obnoxiously loud air horns poured through the speakers of every single player cabin on the ship. The losers screamed and writhed in loser class while The Sharks escaped their rooms with pillows tied to their ears only to find the first class lounge filled with the same noise. An entire day had passed since the last challenge and everyone had just retired to bed after an exhausting day of work or relaxation. When the air horn finally died everyone stared at the speakers with blurry eyes and complaints for Chris to get on with things hidden behind their lips. After what felt like an eternity Chris came over the intercom with a series of throat clears that lasted way too long before laughing like something was funny.

"All players please report to the restaurant, we have a special surprise for you!" Chris announced while people from various teams looked at their teammates with worry.

"Challenge?" Trevor asked Phoebe in first class.

"Challenge," was Phoebe's tired response.

* * *

Blinks of confusion and surprise wafted through all the contestants as they stared at the restaurant décor. Pinks, Purples, and Oranges decorated every surface, alongside cakes, bowls of fruit, and an assortment of coloured punches. Streamers hung off the walls and all sorts of balloons lined the floor. In the center of it all was Chris who blew open a party cracker sending a small amount of purple confetti into the air before picking up a T-shirt cannon and blasting Lloyd with the contents.

"T-shirt cannon!" Chris shouted while Lloyd blinked and stared at the pair of pink pajama pants that had just been fired at him.

"These are pants," Lloyd proclaimed with a slow blink. "And they're pink!"

"Chef has the shirts," Chris proclaimed right before Lloyd was hit in the face by a pink shirt and sent sprawling onto the floor.

"What is this?!" Phoebe demanded while holding her hands out.

"Team sorting… Duh," Chris replied with of a roll of his eyes while loading an orange pair of pajama pants into the cannon and aiming it right at Bebe, nailing her in the face with no effort. "Welcome to the merge!"

"The merge?!" Liam asked in surprise.

"Correct, three teams of nine, sorted by cannon," Chris announced before aiming his cannon right at Liam's face. Seconds later the boy was blasted with the colour purple and the chaos officially began. Deek was blasted at point blank range by pink. Brad was hit in the nards by an orange shirt. Kiara found herself bathed in the same colour while Renee was blinded by purple. Lucile, Natalie, and Raina were coated in pink while Jason dodged the same colour only to get hit by the equally feminine purple. The second Olga got a purple shirt to her torso it became an all-out war to try and get the same colour. Elsa, Erin, and Nadie managed to intercept shirts of the colour from other players while Louise attempted to get one but ended up snagging orange instead.

Wilma was the recipient of some pink while Trevor nearly got the same colour only to have Yvonne steal it from him and get orange as consolation. Lara and Helden both got their hands on a purple shirt and began fighting over it only to have Lara get hit with an orange shirt and knocked away. Roxie almost got a purple shirt but it fell on the ground making it untouchable to her. Stephen took it instead. Roxie managed to catch an orange one before it made contact with the ground though, and Josh quickly joined her with a shirt of equal hue. Finally Zilka managed to catch a pink one and Phoebe was on the receiving end of a pair of pants dyed the same colour. The last shirt fired fell into Diane's hands without any competition and it just so happened to be coloured purple.

There was a quick shuffle and a few minutes later every single player was wearing a saturated pair of loose pajama pants in one colour and a lighter toned shirt that matched their new team. Some of the matchups made players smile while others caused immense frowns to rift across faces. Chris was having an absolute field day with some of the pairings and he quickly called their attention.

"Welcome to your new teams," Chris exclaimed while holding up his hands. His vision didn't stay neutral for long as it quickly fell on the collection of players draped in pink. "Deek, Lloyd, Lucile, Natalie, Phoebe, Raina, Wilma, Yvonne, and Zilka. You nine shall be now known as The Outrageous Orca. Don't forget your new name… Or your teammates."

"Oh I won't," Phoebe hissed while glaring at Raina, who had taken to rubbing her arm nervously.

"Bebe, Brad, Jason, Josh, Kiara, Lara, Louise, Roxie, and Trevor…" Chris trailed while putting on a massive grin of excitement for the orange team. "You lot shall be known as The Troublesome Turtles, try not to suck too hard."

"Oh I won't," Jason grinned in response, earning sighs from his teammates, new and old.

"As for the purple players…" Chris concluded with a sideways glance to the final grouping. "Diane, Elsa, Erin, Helden, Liam, Nadie, Renee, Olga, and Stephen… I dub thee The Nasty Narwhal. Make some drama for me okay…"

"Oh we've got this game in the bag," Olga chuckled as she gazed at the other teams. Her newfound allies began chuckling alongside her while several other teams began murmuring nervously

"Consider this a team mixer, enjoy some food, kiss some girls, and say your goodbyes, because there will be no elimination tonight," Chris announced to a bunch of cheering and sighs of relief. "Have a good evening, I'll see all of you lot in the morning."

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Of course I get stuck on a team with Raina," Phoebe grumbles.

"My new team is basically perfect," Jason laughs as he throws his feet up on the counter of the confessional. "All because I'm on it!"

Diane sits in the confessional in her new purple clothing looking absolutely exhausted, like she wants nothing more than to simply go to bed.

"Goodbye Liam, hello Ladies I don't know," Louise grins while bobbing his eyebrows up and down in a flirtatious manner.

* * *

 **The Outrageous Orca**

* * *

"Two guys, seven girls, I like these odds," Lloyd chuckled as he grabbed Deek's shoulder and pulled him close, "If we play this right it'll be smoochville for us."

"My only love is mother nature," Deek responded causing Lloyds face to fall. He quickly dropped his arm and shoved his new teammate away in annoyance.

A quick smoothing out of his shirt was all it took before Lloyd was upon the girls and slinging his arms around the shoulders of Natalie and Zilka with a bright smile on his face. Natalie stared at him with pursed lips while Zilka simply blinked at him in both confusion and surprise.

"Name's Lloyd and I just want to say our team is looking fffffffiiiiine," Lloyd grinned while several of the other girls avoided eye contact.

"Good idea Lloyd, let's simply start with names," Phoebe piped up with a clap of her hands. "I'm Phoebe…"

"Wilma," Wilma nodded from the side of the group.

"Hi I'm Zilka," Zilka announced with a little nervous wave.

"Junebug the fifth," Natalie stated in a convincing enough way to make several people blink. "I'm kidding, its Natalie…"

My name is Deek and I must say we have some delightful auras here," Deek pointed out while staring at Zilka in particular. This earned him an annoyed look from Lloyd.

"Name's Lucile," Lucile announced while pointing to herself with her thumb.

"Raina," Raina piped up nervously.

"And I'm Yvonne," Yvonne finished while gazing around at her team. "And let me just say I am so happy I'm out from under Lara's thumb."

"You don't have to worry about her behaviour coming from us," Lucile smiled.

"I know I'm pretty chill," Phoebe nodded. "And if we keep positive we'll win every challenge that comes our way."

"Hey, if we don't lose we'll beat even your team for track record," Wilma laughed while placing a hand on Phoebe's shoulder.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I got a good feeling about this team," Lucile smiles while planting her hands on her hips. "Sure I'm the only Calamari player on it and my previous relationships are kind of moot, but everyone seems pretty chill over here."

* * *

 **The Troublesome Turtles**

* * *

"So good," Brad moaned as food spilled out of his mouth and onto the floor. Icing was smeared around his mouth, he'd created a heaping mess of potato chips, dip, and mozzarella sticks on a plate, and his new shirt was already stained from soda spilling when he drank. It had dripped down his mouth and dribbled onto his shirt. The entire process had caused Roxie's eye to start twitching and her mouth to extend in disgust. She should have been enjoying herself but she was too busy picking up the complete mess the slob was leaving behind him like a slug leaves slime.

Everyone had taken an interest in the food the very second Jason had opened his mouth. He interrupted everyone, boasted about random things, and seemed to think he was in ownership of the team despite it being formed a mere ten minutes earlier. He kept calling himself captain despite the fact people like Trevor or Louise were better suited for the job and when Kiara had mentioned needing a new page in her scrapbook for the new team, Jason had insisted she start taking pictures of him and only him, lamenting that each one was great despite the fact he hadn't even seen them.

"This team is off to a great start," Lara lamented from the sidelines where she sat in a chair next to Bebe. The pink haired girl was waving her feet back and forth like an excited child and couldn't be bothered to learn from the stubbed toes she kept getting from the swinging. She'd make a small grunt of pain before continuing to swing her legs. Lara would have ditched her ages ago but everyone else on the team was wary of her. When she greeted them like a friendly store employee looking to provide aide they'd just laughed and taken a few steps back like she might leap forward and bite their heads off. It was absolutely absurd but it was a truth she was going to have to deal with considering her new team.

"Maybe we'll actually win this time," Bebe proclaimed with a slight gasp.

"With him leading the charge that seems unlikely," Lara growled while staring at Jaso., "How can such a tiny man hold such a big ego?"

"He's probably just very dense," Bebe pointed out with a nod. Lara blew some hair out of her face and rose to her feet in response. She trekked over to the punch bowl and stared into the orange contents of it wondering how much food colouring and sugar was present in the thing to give it such an unnatural hue. As she stood before it she found herself slid up to by another player, now decked out in purple.

"Liking the new team?" Diane asked with a smile. Lara just blinked, somewhat thrown off by the girl's voice and trying her best to recall if she'd ever heard her speak before.

"Why do you ask?" Lara demanded with a frown the second she had recovered.

"Oh just that I've had more fun in the last ten minutes than the last two weeks," Diane replied before putting on a coy smile and chuckling to herself. "You know… all because you're not on my team…"

"I'll break your arms in five different ways," Lara growled while crushing her cup for emphasis.

"If you survive," Diane grinned before snagging a few mini pizzas off a tray and prancing away.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"The good news is that I no longer have to play this game with Diane," Lara announces with her eyes closed. "She is now officially the enemy…"

* * *

 **The Nasty Narwhal**

* * *

Elsa was beaming as she sat amidst her new and much deserved team. Instead of being lumped together with players like Brad or Natalie she had found herself on a rather powerful team. Liam, Nadie, Olga, and Stephen were some of the strongest players in the game while people like Helden had shown themselves to be quite athletic. Of course Renee, Diane, and Erin were on the team but she couldn't expect everyone on it to be strong. Unfair fouls were going to be a thing of the past now that she'd separated herself from problem players that had earned the ire of Chris and his trail of judges.

Laughter was filling the group as the stronger players partook in an arm wrestling contest to try and determine who was the toughest of the bunch. Liam had quickly lost out to the much stronger Stephen and that boy was in the process of trying his hardest to even get a nudge out of Olga's powerful arm. It was simple dumb fun that cued they were all getting along. It also helped that some interns just so happened to enter the room through the kitchen with new plates of food. Freshly baked pizzas drowned out the cheap scent of the original appetizers and Liam scented the air before approaching the piping hot platters.

He grabbed a plate, then some pizza, and just so happened to notice something very peculiar. Someone had tucked an envelope between the platter and pizza and the white paper had a big grease stain on it. Liam turned it over and found that it was addressed to everyone in the room. He blinked before bringing his fingers to his lips and blowing a loud whistle. Twenty six heads turned towards him and he waved the letter in the air. A crowd had gathered before he could even properly react and he had to slice open the thick letter and pull a large paper out. Multiple tiny envelopes had been stuffed into the letter and each one had a name on it.

"Congratulations on your new teams," Liam read while every eye in the room stared at him intently. "Except these are not actually your teams, as one player is an imposter working for your opponents. You will each be handed a letter containing a question you must answer by either raising your hand or keeping it down. The imposter will be given the name of their actual team and must pretend they are part of their fake team. Every so often teams will try to guess the imposter. If you're right, the imposter and their team get sent to loser class, but if you're wrong the player you picked will spend the next few days working instead of relaxing. The last imposter to be caught wins first class passage to our next mystery destination for them and their remaining teammates. You are not allowed to look at another player's paper or you and your team will be disqualified."

Silence overtook the room and everyone looked at their teammates with blank expressions while the envelopes were handed out to each player. They then all moved to separate areas of the room and tore their letters open. The overarching question presented to the room was _Have you ever kissed a girl?_ To which some people ended up blushing hard. Then the teams crushed together into three coloured pockets and gazed at their teammates mysteriously. A time had been plastered on each and every one of the letters and as the seconds ticked downwards the players got antsy with their hands. Three of whom didn't even know what the question was.

When the clock struck, a variety of hands shot upwards from The Nasty Narwhal. Liam, Renee, and Stephen had their hands in the air while everyone else looked on. Elsa narrowed her eyes and pointed at Renee suspiciously, a few eyes followed her but Renee didn't seem the least bit nervous.

"You've kissed a girl?" Elsa asked with a frown.

"Got a problem with it?" Renee asked with a tone of both annoyance and hurt in her voice that made Elsa clamp her mouth shut.

"Okay guys, lets not jump to conclusions here," Erin suggested, "If we choose wrong and end up winning, whomever we vote out here won't be enjoying first class."

"So you haven't kissed a girl then?" Liam asked with a slight chuckle.

"Never found the right gal," Erin responded matter of factly.

"I say we vote off the-" Elsa started.

"Lesbian, the term is lesbian," Renee interrupted causing Elsa to gaze downwards and purse her lips tightly.

"You are pointing fingers," Liam muttered with a scratch of his chin.

"I brought up the question, there's no way it could be me," Elsa shrugged before shooting her gaze around her teammates and watching them do the same. No one had a real answer prepared until a number of eyes fell on Helden. The guy was humming to himself happily but that didn't bother anyone. What got to them was his athletic build and manish looks. He had the body to have attracted at least one girl and suspicion was growing by the second.

"Okay point to the player you think is lying," Stephen ordered before a number of hands were pointed. Erin got two, Renee got three, and Helden received four pointed fingers.

"You think it is I who is lying?!" Helden gasped in absolute shock.

"Yes," Elsa replied before the speaker crackled to life.

"WRONG!" Chris exclaimed while a feedback loop screeched through the room. "Helden you have to go to bed now, even if your team wins you'll still spend tomorrow working."

"Hmmpf!" Helden scowled before marching out of the room with a flick of his hair. His teammates watched him depart with pursed lips and pointed fingers before all eyes fell on Elsa. She chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her head.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I call foul on that question! We needed a harder one!" Elsa exclaims before sitting back and blowing her bangs out of her eyes.

* * *

 **The Troublesome Turtles**

* * *

"Of course I haven't kissed a girl," Brad announced through a bite of food. "I won't need someone to clean up my house until I move out."

"That is unbelievably sexist," Kiara responded with a cross of her arms.

Only guys had put their hands up to answer the first question and it suddenly fell on the team to somehow decide who was a liar. Either one of the guys was fibbing about kissing a girl or one of the girls was swinging for the other team. The ones that had raised their hands were easier to figure out because the team just had to look at the guy and try to decide if they were lying based solely on appearance. Brad was disgusting enough to repulse any girl with even the slightest semblance of a standard so he was out.

"It can't be me" Jason announced while pointing to himself. "The honeys can't even resist me."

"Louise, where did you kiss a girl?" Kiara asked with a glance towards her teammate.

"Well-" Louise started before Jason cut him off.

"I've used all the styles… French, Russian, Polynesian…" Jason grinned before slinging his arm over Kiara. "We could try Spanish if you want."

"I don't think that's a thing," Kiara lamented before throwing Jason's arm off her.

"I kissed a girl during a school play," Louise continued.

"That doesn't count! He's the liar!" Lara exclaimed while pointing a finger directly at Louise.

"I'm pretty sure it counts," Louise responded with a pout. "Tell me, did the letter specify that it had to be romantic?"

"You only want me to tell you that because yours was blank!" Lara exclaimed.

"Or maybe yours was blank and you're trying to trick me!" Louise shouted back, causing most of the team to sigh in annoyance.

"One time I passed out because she wouldn't release me for air, that's how good at kissing I am!" Jason exclaimed while thrusting himself between Lara and Louise, causing him to become the center of attention again.

"Okay, all in favour of voting Jason off and waiting for next round?!" Kiara demanded while the boy in question decided to lean on her again.

"When you get kicked off, we can have some alone time beautiful," Jason grinned before running his hand down Kiara's cheek. She shoved him off and practically everyone in the group raised their hands.

"WRONG!" The intercom shouted, not that it was surprising to anyone on The Turtles. Jason departed the room with a sleezy grin while Kiara scratched her face in an attempt to rid herself of the ghost touch Jason had left her with.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I'm irresistible to girls, when Kiara joins me back here it'll be smooch city," Jason grins while eying the camera. "She knows she wants me."

* * *

 **The Outrageous Orca**

* * *

"Bianca Prim, eighth grade, slumber party. She turned full blown lesbian after the event, cut her hair, started supporting socialism to an insane degree, and believes men are the fault for everything. I dumped her of course, because she's insane and rather clingy," Natalie concluded while everyone stared at her with slow blinks and stares off into space. "I got two more instances if you want to hear them."

"Six is enough," Phoebe replied with her hands held out. They'd finished cycling through the two players that had raised their hands. Those two being Lloyd and Natalie. Lloyd's relationship was pathetically short and believable enough while Natalie had gone into such detail that it was impossible for anyone to believe she was making things up.

"Okay, someone here is lying, one of us kissed a girl and didn't raise our hand," Wilma frowned as she cast her gaze over her teammates. Deek, Lucile, Phoebe, Raina, Yvonne, and Zilka were all suspects and it was rather difficult to tell who was lying.

"So Raina, when was your first kiss?" Phoebe demanded while glowering at her former team captain. Raina turned a bright red colour in response and Phoebe desperately hoped it meant Raina wasn't actually on her team. That she was going to be shuffled away the second the challenge ended.

"My first kiss…" Raina muttered before biting her lip. Everyone stared at her intently and her shoulders shrunk in embarrassment. "My first kiss was with… Warren…"

"Of course it was," Phoebe sighed with a bat of her forehead.

"Didn't you go through a lesbian phase?" Natalie asked with a bright grin crossing her face that made Phoebe turn around.

"It never led to anything," Phoebe admitted. "I never even dated, I just decided I wanted to be one, proclaimed I was one, and never acted upon it. Plus I brought up the question."

"Fair enough," Wilma shrugged while several people nodded behind her.

"If you ask me, the suspicious one here is Yvonne," Natalie stated with a cross of her arms and several drawn eyes, "Drama classes at any level are often disproportionately female meaning Yvonne here has likely had to share the stage or set with a girl playing a male role."

"Oh, those don't count," Yvonne huffed while taking a seat and crossing her legs. "It's acting, not romance!"

"Paper didn't say it had to be romantic," Natalie grinned in response before pointing a finger right at Yvonne, "I think we found our imposter!"

A few murmurs of agreement filled the air before a few more fingers were pointed right at a rather shocked and annoyed looking Yvonne. Sure she wouldn't be eliminated by this motion, but if their team won she'd now be barred from first class passage. Unfortunately for her, the fingers pointing at her outnumbered the ones kept sheathed meaning she was to go.

"WRONGAMUNDO ORCA!" Chris laughed from above while Yvonne took on a look of rage and stomped out of the room with annoyance in her eyes and a bunch of apologetic looks following her.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Truth be told it's incredibly likely I would've been targeted at some point, I am a professional actress after all," Yvonne admits while powdering her nose. "I choose to take this as a compliment…"

* * *

"So how's the party treating you?" Wilma asked while her hands fell on Trevor's shoulders. The boy, now donned in Orange, nearly dropped his drink at the sudden touch but managed to keep ahold of it. Wilma gave a chuckle at his nervousness while he turned to face her.

"I dunno, we just made the wrong call," Trevor admitted while gazing at the overabundance of food in front of him, "And you know…"

"We're not on the same team," Wilma chuckled before slinging her arm over his shoulder like a flirtatious dude does to a drunk girl with a large rack. "It means we only get to see each other when one of us skips work."

"About that…" Trevor started before Wilma gave a loud laugh like she thought she could predict his thoughts and was imagining a very different outcome to the sentence.

"Chris hasn't done anything about it yet, why would he start now?" Wilma demanded while Trevor's gaze faltered and looked down into the punch bowl. Wilma kept talking while he bit his lip and watched her talk happily about all sorts of blind spots in the cameras they could slip into. The truth of the matter was he was against bumming off work to hang. It was definitely against the rules and if there was one thing Trevor respected, it was rules. He appreciated them and hoped to uphold them one day, yet somehow he'd gotten tangled up with a girl who seemed to disregard the rules at every chance she got. He wasn't even sure if she should be loitering around him as the two of them might be targeted for being together. It was gross to think a small little interaction could yield fear in people.

It was dumb to think no one was keeping an eye on their teammates, looking for any wayward glances at a true team. The simple jealous glances The Narwhal were getting were probably being seen as signs of betrayal and Trevor could only assume another letter would arrive right away, they were likely being penned in the kitchen at that very moment, Twenty four notes designated for the remaining players that would be hidden in a platter of mozzarella sticks or something. Every intern bringing out food created a sense of fear and anticipation but most of them didn't do much but refill platters.

It wasn't until an egregiously large platter of jalapeño poppers emerged that the next clue came into sight. Trevor quickly noticed the papers ringing the food, each sealed in a tiny envelope with a name scrawled on the front. He along with a few other players approached it but he happened to have Wilma hanging off his shoulders in a kind of half hug. In order to be comfortable he had to place his hand on her hip, a move she seemed to be happy about as she quickly leaned in close to him. Everyone could see it and Trevor noticed Lara whispering something to Bebe out of the corner of his eye. He swallowed nervously but didn't say a thing seeing as Wilma was too preoccupied with her own letter. She peeled the paper open and he got a very clear sight of her clue. She was definitely not the imposter, meaning her movements had all occurred in jest, she hadn't been getting coy with him because she was truly a member of the Turtles, rather she thought it would just be fun to lounge close to him like they'd hit that weird phase in dating where couples have to be in physical contact with one another.

The clue called for players to hold up a finger for how many times they'd used the bathroom that day. Trevor quickly rejoined his team and Wilma departed to her own. A number of fingers went up from each player and there seemed to be an air of awkwardness surrounding the group. The vast majority of players fell within the range of three to five but Brad, Roxie, and Louise happened to have a very large number. Roxie on ten, Louise on Seven, and Brad at eight. On the other end of the spectrum Lara had only two bathroom breaks according to her fingers, a number that seemed less than ideal.

"Ten times, seriously?" Lara demanded while pointing a finger at Roxie.

"Pitchfork down, that's low for her," Trevor replied in complete deadpan. It kind of hit him like a freight train that Roxie was undoubtfully the player he could trust the most on his new team. His sole ally in his first few steps as a Troublesome Turtle.

"What do you mean low?" Kiara asked suspiciously.

"She goes to the bathroom to wash her hands at least thirty times a day," Trevor pointed out.

"Last I checked thirty isn't ten," Lara growled suspiciously.

"I ran out of fingers," Roxie replied.

"She ran out of fingers," Trevor repeated before pointing at Lara. "What's your excuse?"

"Efficiency, when you're at work you should only use the bathroom after meals," Lara replied with a shrug. "I don't need to enter it over and over again because I don't have to pee every half hour like _some_ people."

"I just go to the bathroom whenever I'm sick of work, take a long break in there," Brad shrugged before taking another large bite of his food.

"I've been marred by… troubles today," Louise admitted while tapping his pointer fingers together.

"I say Roxie's alibi is the weakest," Lara announced while a collective murmur of approval coursed through the Orange team. One by one fingers were pointed until five out of eight were directed at Roxie. A quick shout from the intercom proved them all wrong and Roxie began to release a guttural growl in response before crossing her arms and turning her head away from the group with a humpf.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"By the sounds of things I got myself a few slackers on this team," Lara shouts while flicking her eyes back and forth. "Five bathrooms breaks is a little much, but thirty?! Even if she's not guilty she doesn't deserve first class!"

* * *

 **The Outrageous Orca**

* * *

"You haven't used the bathroom once?" Lucile asked in complete disbelief while staring at Natalie. The brunette held a completely confident face absent of any sort of guilt or worry whatsoever. Her face quickly turned into confusion and she pointed directly at the clock before putting on a matter of fact tone.

"Of course not, it's only been today for like, twenty two minutes," Natalie laughed while everyone stared directly at the clock which read twenty two minutes after midnight. Technically the next day.

"Oh wow," Lucile muttered while dropping her own hand, which had read four fingers. Everyone else gazed at their own hands in confusion and a sense of loss while Natalie gave a loud sigh and began hitting her forehead.

"I was hoping we'd all leave our numbers at zero and watch as one person foolishly put up four or something but apparently no one else kept track of the time," Natalie sighed while her teammates rubbed their arms nervously.

"Well Lloyd was pretty high-" Raina started before Natalie began laughing, cutting her teammate off.

"No offense, but a guess wouldn't go that high. An imposter would play it safe and pick a number in the middle. Something around five to be safe. Since most of us are at four it's safe to say we have another dud of a round on our hands," Natalie announced while holding her arms out. "So we need to look at other factors, such as how cozy Wilma just got with a Turtle…"

A bunch of eyes zeroed in on Wilma and she gave a slow blink of shock while everyone stared at her. She quickly recovered and gave a swift laugh while her hands pushed fingers back defensively.

"Okay, I'm kind of seeing Trevor, so that doesn't really count…" Wilma chuckled.

"We all have friends on other teams and you don't see us wandering off," Natalie replied with a cross of her arms, "I think you were letting your boyfriend know you two are about to be together."

"Wait, you have it all wrong!" Wilma exclaimed right before the intercom buzzed with a classic failure sound cue over it. She gave a quick blink and found half her team pointing at her. The five raised fingers had apparently cued Chris to count it as a vote and they'd gotten it wrong. Surprise came over Natalie's face and Wilma frowned at her teammate. They'd been on two teams together meaning Natalie should have known better, but instead she'd jumped the gun, probably afraid the team would take her literal sense of logic the wrong way and vote her off the reward anyway. Wilma frowned heavily and narrowed her eyes especially hard at the brunette opposite her.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"First rule of teambuilding," Natalie announces. "Send the social ones away first so that someone a little less suited can play leader…"

* * *

 **The Nasty Narwhal**

* * *

A collective stare of absolute confusion was aimed right at Elsa the second hands were put up. Everyone else had gone four or five times that day but Elsa was at nine for no apparent reason. The Nasty Narwhal blinked at her and she blinked back every few seconds. It was only after Nadie raised her finger to point at the girl that any reaction escaped Elsa's face.

"He didn't specify if it was for bathroom breaks or makeup touch-ups…" Elsa proclaimed as Renee lifted her finger to point as well. "Come on Erin, Stephen… Back me up on this. I touch up my makeup all the time."

"Uh…" Stephen trailed before exchanging a very awkward glance with Erin. The two guys didn't know what to think. Sure they'd been teammates with Elsa, but they hadn't kept tabs on her bathroom habits. Not that they could have changed anything as anyone on the team that hadn't been part of The Whimsical Whales had pointed at Elsa without any hesitation.

"The imposter survives another round Nasty Narwhal…" Chris trailed in a mysterious tone while Elsa ground her teeth together and began yelling about how she'd been cheated before turning around and stomping through the door. Suddenly there were only twenty one teens in the room with a promise of more letters on the way. Whispers quickly filled the team and the two Whale boys turned away from their teammates and made their way over to the snack table.

Brad had gotten to the desserts and there was chocolate all over the tablecloth. Chunks of cake and slob residue stained the pristine white drape while the boys gazed at the cloth in disgust.

"Boy am I glad we're not on his team anymore," Erin muttered.

"Totally agree with you man," Stephen nodded while glancing back at the remaining purple players. Sure they'd booted out Elsa and Helden, but even without them the team was looking abnormally impressive. Nearly every strong player had been lumped onto the team. Stephen himself, Olga, Liam, Nadie, and Helden were all crowded together with minimal competition from the other teams. Sure Phoebe and Wilma were strong but they were also laden down by Deek, Zilka, and Raina. The Turtles had Trevor and Lara, but also had Brad, Bebe, and mediocre players like Kiara and Josh. The purple team was starting to look like The Sinister Sharks on steroids. No Warren, no Raina, and providing no clear weakest link. They only had one Plankton player after all and the less of that Green team there was the better they'd fare.

"Only thing missing is Natalie," Erin pointed out.

"Yeah, Natalie," Stephen chuckled with a shake of his head "But hey, all we have to do is make sure we don't beat her too savagely."

"Amen to that," Erin agreed while a coy grin spread over his face. Both boys turned back to the cakes and as they did Stephen faltered.

A bowl of candy had mysteriously appeared on the table and the candies inside it were all labeled with a name and coloured coded for emphasis. Stephen reached into the bowl and after a bit of digging picked up the candy with his own name on it. He quickly unwrapped it and found a question posed for him with instructions to write out an answer and tear the question portion off. It wasn't long before everyone had the sweets in their hands and fought over the pens.

The regular players had simply been asked what their favorite animal was. It was an easy question to answer, nothing too difficult for anyone to respond to. The three imposters however, got a slightly different question, _Creepiest animal_. Questions were torn off, answers were submitted, and not ten minutes after Elsa had left, The Nasty Narwhal were gathered together with seven answers before them.

Diane's favorite animal was a horse, Erin apparently liked wolves, and Liam was a fan of goats. Nadie liked Trout, Renee liked Tarantula, and Olga enjoyed the company of cats. Lastly Stephen had written out golden Labrador and had taken to staring at all the animals in the group.

"One of these is not like the rest," Stephen stated while bringing his hand to his mouth. He quickly put his hand down and divided the animals into two sections. For a favorite animal, horse, wolf, cat, and golden lab seemed normal. The Tarantula, goat, and trout seemed a little odd but immediately caused an uproar to rise from the trio that hadn't had their animal picked.

"Spider's aren't cool, they're creepy," Stephen argued the second Renee's voice piped up in protest.

"But I like spiders," Renee announced with a slight waver to her voice. The smallest of movements of course, but to Stephen's paranoid mind it was enough evidence to convict.

"Renee's the culprit!" Stephen exclaimed while pointing at Renee.

"Dude… You have like, no evidence," Nadie responded with a cross of her arms.

"Didn't you hear that slight hesitation? Tell me you heard it!" Stephen exclaimed while Renee rubbed her arm and averted her eyes.

"Maybe she can explain it," Olga suggested while turning to Renee. "If she didn't like Tarantula she wouldn't be able to describe them would she?"

"I'm sorry it's just that most people think spiders are creepy and tarantulas have this weird hair on them that causes itchiness when it comes into contact with your skin. Plus they're huge and make dens out of web and -" Renee started to ramble before Olga cut her off.

"Seems pretty normal to me," Olga announced before turning back to the papers. She picked up Renee's Tarantula wrapper and put it aside before picking up Stephen's own Golden Labrador paper and moving it back into the suspect pile, "If you ask me the two I'm concerned over are the two that stand out the most. Both of these could be worded as different questions. Your favorite animal to eat and a pet you owned respectively. We need to think about this from the point of view of the trickster not simply jumping on an odd animal choice."

"But who doesn't love a dog?" Stephen demanded in shock.

"I don't," Olga announced while pointing at herself. "Haven't liked them since I attacked by one. Not every phobia is standard and not everyone likes a standard animal. I know kids who simply like tigers because they can eat people. The animal liked is arbitrary. It's the wording that matters, but if you ask me golden Labrador is too specific."

"So you're voting me then," Stephen replied before aiming his finger right at Nadie, "Well I say its Nadie then! Who the heck likes a fish? A shark I could get but a dumb fish?!"

"I'll have you know that trout are fantastic animals to both hunt and watch," Nadie protested before pointing her finger at Stephen.

Four votes was all that was required to send one player out of the room and Renee sided with Nadie and Olga. However, the majority of the team seemed to like Stephen's logic more than Nadie's and she quickly found herself under the point of Diane, Erin, and Liam, easily casting her into the losing class. However, the speaker came to life and blew a raspberry signalling that The Nasty Narwhal had chosen wrong for the third time in a row.

* * *

 **The Outrageous Orca**

* * *

Every single player on The Orca had seemingly answered the question at hand properly. There were a few odd animals such as Lloyd's Caribou and Natalie's Piranha, but those paled in comparison to Deek's response the question. He'd written, _Through Mother Nature every animal's spirit is connected under one union_. It was such a random response that no one really had to contest it. It made no sense when aligned with the question but that didn't stop Deek from defending it.

"These are but fleshy vessels, our spirits are the same," Deek announced like he was somehow a wise old hermit.

"Animals and people are not the same. Animals are for eating, people are for cheating," Lloyd replied with the heavenly wisdom his father had once presented him with.

"Animals are not for eating," Zilka protested. "They're for loving and should be left alone by nasty hunters."

"Look I'll cut you some slack because you're hot, but veganism is proof that we're in desperate need of a plague," Lloyd proclaimed while slinging his arm around Zilka's shoulder. She awkwardly moved away from the boy while everyone else on the team directed their attention back to Deek.

"Even if we're not right, he might answer weird again," Raina stated while looking back and forth between Phoebe and Natalie.

"As much as I hate to admit it, you're right," Phoebe sighed before pointing her finger at Deek. It didn't take long for three other fingers to join her, eliciting majority rules and exiling Deek. Chris gave an obligatory laugh over the speaker and the true imposter was suddenly narrowed down to six people. Either Lloyd, Natalie, Raina, Zilka, Lucile, or Phoebe had been selected to play on another team and not one player left on the team lacked any suspicions as to who that person was.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"This kind of sucks!" Zilka exclaims. "The only person here who seemed to actually care about animals is gone while Lloyd continues to hit on me and eat platters of chicken wings… Can you imagine living life only because someone wanted to eat your arms one day? It's absolutely unnerving!"

* * *

 **The Troublesome Turtles**

* * *

Bebe liked bunnies, Kiara liked Racoons, and Louise liked ants. However, it was Josh's enjoyment of mice that had sent Lara into an absolute rage. She felt the need to get right up in his grill and announce the disgusting nature of the rodents to his face. Trevor and Louise had taken to holding her back while she flailed and angrily retorted any argument Josh managed to give. Mice carried diseases, got into stock, and bred like… well mice.

Josh had meanwhile allegedly chosen the animal because he'd owned pet mice in the past. Little white rodents that were absolutely adorable and would play on little toys like hamsters. Lara kept asking why he didn't just get a hamster the more and more he described their living quarters. It honestly did sound like the place a hamster would live but no one else had raised mice before, so they could only assume they were kept in similar ways. Nothing really stuck out beyond that and even then it wasn't an immediate call. Everyone was a little more freaked out by Lara's aggressiveness.

She was definitely a distraction. Any other oddity had been swept under the carpet the second she'd thrown her anger right at Josh. No one had a chance to question Kiara as to why she liked racoons or why Louise happened to be a fan of ants. Both of these were odd answers in the own rights but never got even an inkling of attention, something that was definitely getting on everyone's nerves. Trevor made eye contact with Kiara and they both spread a visual message through just a simple glance. Within seconds every member of the team had received the notice and Bebe brought her hands to her mouth in shock and disbelief.

There was no real reason to suspect Lara was the culprit. In fact she had brought up the question in the first place meaning she had gained access to it. She wasn't the imposter, but she was sure distracting from the issue at hand. So while Lara continued to rant Brad, Kiara, Louise, and Trevor raised their fingers and pointed at Lara. Her mouth fell agape while the realization of her own elimination and her team's stupidity swirled through her.

"I BROUGHT IT UP!" Lara exclaimed with a point at her own chest.

"We know," Kiara responded before Lara loomed over her with a guttural growl escaping her lips. The Speaker system roared to life with a negative answer and Lara was ordered to depart the party that very instant.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Kiara just made a powerful enemy," Lara hisses while she pouts in the confessional. "Yvonne can take a backseat for now…"

* * *

With only six players left on each team the contestants were beginning to grow wary of one another and keep mostly to themselves. The vast majority of players avoided making eye contact with any other team at all costs, but every so often two players would drift together and try their best to deduce if they were actually on a team with the person next to them or not. This was definitely the case with Lucile, who was imagining the team with the absence of every single player left on the Outrageous Orca. If Zilka or Raina left it wouldn't be that big of a deal. Natalie's influence over Liam's paranoia made her wary, and Lloyd kind of just existed. Sure he could easily put on a burst of strength but from what she could remember he was exceptionally unmotivated, and happy to simply coast through the game with very little input.

The one remaining player that Lucile definitely wanted to become friendly with was Phoebe. Phoebe was a complete machine in the physical challenges and unlike Olga she was also rather proficient in other areas of gameplay as well. Teaming with her would be advantageous, especially when they already had Wilma aboard. Neither girl was elimination fodder, and if she could get in good with them then she wouldn't be targeted. She was the only Creepy Calamari on The Orca after all, so ensuring she had allies was priority number one.

"Kind of stressful huh?" Lucile asked as she edged towards Phoebe in the least intrusive manner possible. Phoebe seemed to be doing the same thing she was, gazing at the other players in the party analytically.

"Not really, losing anyone here wouldn't be a huge loss," Phoebe replied with a shrug.

"Oh…" Lucile trailed, earning a small look of apology from Phoebe.

"No offense, but you didn't exactly stand out on your last team," Phoebe admitted with a slow gaze over at The Nasty Narwhal.

"Can't say the same about you, when I think Sinister Sharks I picture you," Lucile muttered. "But don't you think that puts a target on your back?"

"Not yet," Phoebe replied. "We're still at twenty seven players. I'll become a target when we reach about fifteen players. You however, will earn a spot in the final ten with no issue if you survive this part of the game."

"Thanks, I guess," Lucile muttered with a blink. "But don't you think I might have a chance to shine here, away from my old team?"

"Well, you better hope the next few challenges are perfect for you. For both our sakes…" Phoebe shrugged right before the doors opened and an intern walked in with a brand new platter of food. Cheeses of various colours and smells wafted into the room while the platter was put down. Mixed in with the cheese were eighteen separate envelopes with names written on them in neat cursive. Phoebe quickly left her conversation with Lucile and picked up the envelope with her name on it. Everyone was quickly upon the platter and note after note was torn open.

The primary question asked every player to point at the person they thought was the weakest. Meanwhile the imposters were told to point at the player they believed should be captain out of the remaining players. The Outrageous Orca quickly gathered and stood in a small circle. Eyes drifted back and forth for a few seconds knowing the awkwardness that was about to occur and seconds later fingers were pointed about the group. Lloyd had his finger aimed at Raina, Lucile had her own pointed at Zilka. Natalie meanwhile pointed right at Lucile while Phoebe aimed a finger right at Raina. Finally Zilka had her finger pointed right Lloyd.

The final finger was the oddity to most of the group. Sure Lloyd was apathetic when it came to challenges but the weakest member? Even Lucile and Natalie knew there were worse players on the team.

"His personality will bring the whole team down," Zilka announced the second she was questioned, "Anyone with that kind of attitude towards animals deserves to float away in a lifeboat and think about what they've done."

"How come the hot ones are always crazy?" Lloyd asked with a roll of his eyes.

"The question was about who we thought was weakest genius," Natalie muttered with a narrow of her eyes. "Everyone here could rationalize their vote. I picked Lucile because she has no connections here. These guys clearly picked Raina because they've seen her in action."

Mutters of agreeance piped up before everyone pointed a finger at Zilka. The speaker was quick to announce that they were wrong, something that Zilka took major offence with. She gave an annoyed sigh before walking away grumbling. The remaining five watched her go before looking amongst themselves awkwardly.

"She wasn't playing right, now that she's gone perhaps finding the liar will be easier," Natalie announced to a few mutters of agreeance.

* * *

 **The Troublesome Turtles**

* * *

The Orange team had all pointed at the same time and their fingers were a little more collected. Bebe received most of the fingers while Josh and Trevor received one each. Louise's Trevor vote was definitely the most contentious of the bunch but Louise was stubbornly arguing it.

"I've seen the way you hang off Wilma, I bet you the first chance you get to assist her team you'll be all over betraying us!" Louise exclaimed. The main reason no one was jabbing their fingers at him right away was the simple argument that had been thrown out a few seconds earlier about Warren. Even Trevor had to admit Warren had thrown a few challenges in the name of love so Louise's suspicion wasn't totally ungrounded. It was just the outlier.

"Are we seriously going to ignore just how backwards that argument is? Even if I betrayed the team I wouldn't exactly be the weakest player," Trevor protested.

"Well, if I have a reason what's Bebe's excuse?" Louise demanded while motioning to Bebe. The girl literally fell over from just a gesture and she looked up in a completely panicked state.

"I didn't know who to vote for and panicked!" Bebe shouted while her team exchanged a series of looks. It was just the look on Bebe's face, that's all it took to sway even the most suspicious pair of eyes off Louise's back. A few mutterings occurred alongside a few nods and whispers before the majority of fingers jabbed right at Bebe again. They were all wrong of course but she was still eliminated.

Chris blew a raspberry while the rest of the team turned their heads to look at Louise with high levels of suspicion in their eyes. Louise slapped his forehead in disbelief while his teammates began whispering, and shooting sideways glances to one another.

* * *

 **The Nasty Narwhal**

* * *

"It's Renee," Stephen announced. The smirk Renee put on in response was all the confirmation he needed. That nervous laugh of someone who's been caught, not that she could bluff her way out of things even if she tried. Everyone had pointed at either her or Diane but Renee's finger had stretched out to Olga, a human being who was the embodiment of strong. There was no way to hide it, the tarantula pick the round earlier and the sideways glances she had been giving clicked way too much. Fingers pointed right at her and she burst into laughter while Chris buzzed in on the intercom.

"Correct Nasty Narwhal. Renee is actually a member of The Troublesome Turtles," Chris announced while small cheers and whoops escaped the purple team.

"Nicely played," Liam admitted.

"Had us going for a while there," Diane nodded.

"BOO!" Brad shouted from the team over, right before he was slapped by Kiara.

"The Troublesome Turtles lose their chance at first class," continued Chris.

"Then why bother even playing anymore?!" Trevor demanded while Renee went to go stand near the orange team while rubbing her arm awkwardly. Brad continued to glare at her but everyone else seemed disappointed at most.

"Did I forget to mention that the last team to catch their imposter gets a major penalty during our next challenge?" Chris questioned with humour lining his voice, "And I do mean major."

"Right then," Trevor replied with an awkward grin.

"Renee doesn't play anymore but she can stay until the challenge ends. As for The Narwhal. If your teammate wins this challenge the five of you are heading to first class," Chris announced causing bright grins to expand over the faces of the remaining five purple players.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I kind of wish I hadn't been picked," Renee sighs. "Not only am I on a worse team now, but I also missed an entire night of meet and greet while also failing my team as a first impression… But Orange it is I guess…"

* * *

 **The Troublesome Turtles**

* * *

"The imposter is one hundred percent Louise," Trevor announced while every member of the team in orange stared at him. Renee also sat at the edge of the group, but she was just grumpily drawing on napkins with a pen and completely ignoring everyone there. Brad, Josh and Kiara stared at Louise and Trevor, who seemed to be at one another's throats. Louise had just squeezed past a round he was definitely an outlier on but that didn't exactly prove anything. Honestly everyone remaining would just have to wait for the next round. Not that they could make it arrive any faster. So instead they started discussing other possibilities while Renee stared at them in disbelief.

It was clearly Louise, there was no way it wasn't Louise and yet there Brad, Josh, and Kiara were, discussing other possibilities. Renee couldn't believe it. She could speak up but decided against it. She'd just make an impression the next day after she'd gotten over being booted onto a less than ideal team. She was partnered with Lara now and that was enough to get her to wrinkle her nose and gag like she was sick.

Thankfully she didn't have to wait long for the next round to come. The two competing teams were quickly notified about a bunch of pop bottles that had a clue on their lid. When it was popped off the player could peer inside and find their answer and strangely enough there was one for her there as well. She had it handed to her and screwed the lid off to find a message on the inside.

 _Keep your mouth shut._

She blew some hair out of her eyes, getting the message without any more needing to be said. She wasn't in the challenge any more, she was just allowed to enjoy the party as compensation for her tenure as an imposter. In all honesty she just wanted to leave. Napkins tore too easily and she much preferred pencil to pen. A few measly sketches were no trade-off for the lunacy occurring on her team.

Regular players had been asked to point to the player they liked the most and then at the player they liked the least. Imposters had meanwhile been asked to do the same but reversed.

Josh and Kiara had pointed at each other first and then at Brad second. Trevor had meanwhile pointed at Kiara before directing his finger at Louise. Much to his surprise Louise indicated he liked Trevor the most and Kiara the least. Brad finished it off by selecting Trevor for most and Louise for least.

"So you think I'm the weakest but like me the most," Trevor huffed, though the argument was barely heard over the sudden flirtation happening between Kiara and Josh.

"We kind of only have so many people to choose from now," Louise responded with a deep exhale. "Look I'm sorry about choosing you, I just know people sometimes get messed up priorities in this game so I assumed you were the same."

"Don't try to dig yourself out of this," Trevor growled while jabbing his finger at Louise. "It's pretty obvious that you're behind this, Right guys?!"

"Irrefutable," Brad responded before taking a huge bite out of a piece of cake.

"You kind of blew it man," Josh agreed with a chuckle.

"Totally blew it," Kiara nodded.

"Correct," Chris announced over the speaker, "Louise is actually a member of The Outrageous Orca and if his real team can figure out who The Narwhal Player is this round I'll forgo handing out my terrible punishment."

The entire pink team turned their heads from The PA system and onto one another. Lloyd, Lucile, Natalie, Phoebe, or Raina. One of those five was really a purple player and if they could figure out they'd be on even ground with the other teams.

"Okay Ladies, point," Lloyd announced before directing a finger right at Lucile for like and a finger at Raina for dislike. Lucile was second and her like finger was pointed at Phoebe while her dislike finger was aimed at Natalie. Natalie meanwhile aimed her first finger at Phoebe and her second at Raina. Phoebe followed with a friendly finger aimed at Lucile and a negative finger aimed at Raina. Lastly Raina pointed at Phoebe for like and Natalie for dislike.

"Really," Phoebe laughed while turning towards Raina. "We found our liar folks."

"Huh?" Raina asked with a blink.

"You like me despite the fact I tore you out of everyone's good graces and ruined your plans," Phoebe laughed with a shake of her head. "Give me a break."

"Wait no, trust me here I seriously want to make good with you, everything that happened was just a mistake," Raina exclaimed while holding up defensive hands and gritting her teeth. She immediately felt Lloyd's finger directed at her.

"You were probably told to pick the player you dislike first and the player you like the most second. That means you like Natalie. You were probably partnering with her to screw over Liam and Nadie which means everything you said yesterday was a lie too!"

"Phoebe trust me, there is something off about Natalie, she screwed you over and then decides she likes you the most?" Raina asked. "Just trust me on this one!"

"I WILL NEVER TRUST YOU EVER AGAIN!" Phoebe exclaimed before jabbing her finger at Raina. Natalie's went up seconds later and Chris burst into the room at that instant.

"WRONG!" Chris announced causing Phoebe's hand to falter. Giggling immediately picked up behind her and Phoebe turned her head to see Natalie sauntering away from the Pink team and towards the purple one.

"So much anger, better watch out, it'll make you easy to manipulate," Natalie grinned while her real team greeted her with cheers.

"Diane, Erin, Liam, Olga, Stephen, and Natalie. You six get to spend the night in first class and it's all thanks to Natalie's ability to lie so well," Chris announced while Natalie met her new teammates and grabbed Erin and Stephen pulling them in close.

"Eh, just a talent I have," Natalie shrugged.

"Orca, you better notify your teammates about your penalty tomorrow, no thanks to Phoebe's distrust of Raina."

"Thanks Phoebe," Lloyd muttered as he stormed past her. Phoebe then growled at Raina before turning to follow him out. Chris however stopped them at the door.

"Nuh uh, breakfast service starts at seven, this place is a pigsty!" Chris announced while Brad accidentally dropped cake on the floor. "Losers get the worst positions, meaning you guys get to clean this up."

Protests erupted from The Outrageous Orca but Chris didn't want to hear any of it. The Troublesome Turtles headed out the doors towards losing class while The Nasty Narwhal made their way up to first class with smiles on their faces. Lloyd meanwhile put chairs away in large stacks while Lucile dug out the vacuum cleaner and began sucking up anything Brad had made a mess with. The entire room was a pigsty, leftover food had to be packaged, and dirty plates cleaned. Raina took care of this while Phoebe entered the kitchen and found that not even the interns had been cleanly.

"Ooh, what a mess," Louise muttered as he walked in behind her. "Want a hand with this?"

"If you got fingers you can help," Phoebe replied before turning toward the counter and beginning to brush loose cheese into a trash can. Louise watched her do this for a few seconds before looking outside at the rest of The Orca for a few seconds. His gaze was back on Phoebe in seconds and a small smile emerged on his lips.

"Hey, it was an honest mistake, at the very least you have a friend in me," he smiled.

"You'll help me get rid of Raina?" Phoebe asked after a short pause.

"Was that on your bucket list before the team merge?" Louise asked. He didn't need a response to get an answer as seconds later a small smile spread across his face. "Well then… I guess we're allies… Partner…"


	15. The Ghost of Fernando Fernandez

**Total Drama Ocean Cruise**

 **Chapter XV: The Ghost of Fernando Fernandez**

 **Written by The Firebending Frog**

* * *

Breakfast in first class was amazing for a multitude of reasons, but nothing came close to competing with the food. Mountains of pancakes, oceans of jams, and beautiful platters of freshly picked fruits dappled with a slight drizzle of Norwegian mountain water. The smells were intoxicating and a few foreign pastries littered the tables stuffed with cream cheeses and rich dark chocolates that made mouths water and taste buds ignite.

There was also the fact Lara wasn't there, sure it was a Diane specific note, but a sweet one nonetheless. In fact, everyone was pleased a player or two wasn't present. Olga was glad to be away from the way Lloyd constantly talked about his hunting trips, Phoebe glared at Raina, and Roxie ranted about messes. She could actually let crumbs hit the tablecloth without having eyes as sharp as blades drive into her soul and start twisting around. Liam was happy to be free of his team in general and the stress that came with it. Leadership wasn't on his lap anymore and it was delightful. Finally the triad of former Whimsical Whales were just happy Jason wasn't telling outlandish fibs about himself for attention. They could actually hear themselves think for once and it would be a sin to assume Natalie, Stephen, and Erin didn't have anything planned.

Sure Elsa, Helden, and Nadie were absent, but no one was about to throw down their day of reward just to appease some new teammates. They were The Nasty Narwhal after all, and they were by far the most imposing team in the game. Helden, Liam, Nadie, Olga, and Stephen were all physical powerhouses and made up the majority of the team without any stretching whatsoever. Their athleticism was also spread out with Helden being slimmer and built for balance and poise while Olga was basically a cinderblock with legs. There was no reason to stress and it already felt like every problem that had marred the first half of the game had migrated to another team.

"This will be the easiest part of this game," Olga chuckled as she leaned back with food still in her mouth. No screaming erupted from Roxie in response, and it was delightful to Olga's mind.

"I guess I'll finally see a lot of this place," Diane admitted with a chuckle.

"Amen to that," Liam agreed.

"Speaking of this place," sighed Natalie. "I think I'm going to go visit the pool area, you guys coming?"

"Sure," Stephen replied.

"I'm good" Erin shrugged before he received an elbow to the ribs from Natalie and winced. "I meant… Sounds like fun…"

"Have fun children," Liam smirked before the trio of former Whales were on their way down the hall.

"Come join us if you have time," Natalie announced before slinging her arms around Erin and Stephen's necks and pulling them incredibly close to her. She grinned and swept her eyes from Erin to Stephen and back again. "We have a little problem boys…"

"And what's that problem?" Stephen asked curiously as they approached the pool area.

"Has anyone noticed that in the short span of a few hours Olga has already become the defacto leader of this team?" Natalie questioned. "We may have a strong triad, but if Olga's as charismatic as she seems I bet we'll be swiftly outnumbered."

"You got dirt on her then?" Erin asked curiously.

"Nah, she's too nice to do anything that would require some backbone," Natalie muttered in a tone of annoyance while they moved into the pool area. "And she's definitely going to become friendly with Liam, and Liam doesn't exactly trust me. That puts my head, and yours, on the chopping block."

"So you want to get rid of Olga and Liam," Stephen muttered with a look downwards. "We could convince Elsa of a numbers advantage, but Helden and Nadie are problems…"

"Which means we work on Diane," Natalie grinned.

"How are you gonna get her?" Stephen asked curiously.

"Oh I have my ways," Natalie smirked in response.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"If we make it to the next merge unharmed, then we'll be seeing players like Olga surviving to the endgame, in other words, individual challenges. If I can get rid of all the strong players on my team now then I'll be all set for the next portion of the game," Natalie explains while filing her nails. "If Liam weren't here I could just sit back a little, but if he gets his little tendrils into Diane and Elsa before me then he's going to probably target me for my knowledge of everyone in the game… Hey, Chris hasn't stopped me from raiding his security room yet, so I must be doing something right…"

* * *

Olga didn't seem bothered by sudden departure of the triad of Whimsical Whales and was walking towards the living room in seconds, humming to herself like nothing was wrong. She had the television on pretty quickly with results from a basketball game blown up on screen. All she was seeking that morning was information from the outside world and an intense workout. Liam however, wasn't about to buy into the tranquility.

Natalie had proven herself to be the best liar in the game, so if something sounded honest he had to assume there was an underlying hostility. She'd invited them to join her meaning whatever she had to say was quick, and considering how tight the trio acted, Liam could only assume they were aligned. That meant when a loss came, when Olga finally slipped up, they'd be facing a neatly woven plan that could be aimed at anyone. Only a moron would consider themselves safe around Natalie.

Since Olga was clearly not the least bit worried, Liam was left with Diane to work strategy with. The sooner he started the better, and the relatively bland girl was his only current option. She was just plain, that was all Liam could describe about her. She had a regular eye colour, hairstyle, and set of manners. In addition she only ate the most conventional of breakfast with no clear indicators that she wished to speak.

"Do you trust Natalie?" Liam asked rather suddenly.

Diane's response was to remain silent for a few seconds before noticing his stare. She gave a blink, turned her head to check if there was anyone else around he could be speaking to, and proceeded to point at herself with a raised eyebrow in a silent questioning look. Liam was kind of baffled at her reaction. Had no one ever spoken to her directly? Sure she had been on the same team as Lara, but that wasn't an excuse to become mute.

"Do you trust Natalie?" Liam repeated with a far more annoyed tone lining his voice.

"Nooooooooooo?" Diane replied while running the entire gambit of emotions with that one trail. Pure commitment, scepticism, questioning, anger, annoyance, fear, and hunger all passed over her voice in those short seconds she dragged the one word out.

"Is that a no or what?" Liam asked.

"I don't know! Am I really an opinion you want to hear from?" Diane asked while throwing her arms to her sides. "I mean, I haven't really done anything up to this point, or really made any close allies. I followed Yvonne sure, but that was more out of necessity than choice."

"I suggest you start standing out now before you end up adrift thanks to an ally deficiency," Liam suggested before looking down the hallway Natalie had disappeared into. "You may be used to just one obvious enemy lurking in your midst, but that's not the case anymore, your biggest threat could be right under your nose…"

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Honestly Natalie's probably the only one leaping into the game prematurely," Liam admits with a point to himself. "But I need to rile up Diane so she'll come to me when Natalie puts the moves on her. I definitely have Nadie as an ally, but that isn't good enough. I won't rest until I have a solid group of five to work with."

* * *

 **The Outrageous Orca**

* * *

When the Johannsson family departed their sitting area Zilka became absolutely delighted by what they left behind. Containers of French fries, a half-eaten hot dog, and other fun bits of food. She quickly swiped all the food made sure to dispose of the sausage as quickly as possible. Some poor pig or cow had given its life just to be processed into a greasy chunk of meat beloved by picky children and complete monsters all over the world. The other leftovers however, were the perfect feast for the flock of seagulls that had claimed the deck as their own that day. Gulls squawked and chirped while seeking out scraps of food on the deck, even going as far as to air bomb passengers for the tiniest of morsels.

Zilka quickly tossed the carbs to the wind and the flock was upon her in an instant. Beautiful white creatures that felt the need to fight over French fries just because the nearby humans had starved them half to death. She began pulling the hot dog bun apart and tossing chunks about. One especially large seagull began shoving others out of its way in order to get to the food. The thing must have been starving and Zilka began throwing more and more food at the gull. It greedily devoured anything she touched and the competition kept the entire flock distracted.

A pair of eyes watched them and gleamed in the sunlight. A twisted grin spread under those eyes seconds before the full figure sprang at the gulls. They quickly scattered and began flapping their wings in fear. Fingers however, caught one of the sea birds and pinned it down. A second hand wrapped around its neck while it flailed and flopped about.

"Wonder how sea rat tastes," Lloyd mused while the bird fluttered in his hands.

"STOP!" Zilka shouted while stomping her foot.

"Oh-ho, someone's angry," Lloyd snickered before Zilka launched herself at him and knocked him off his feet. He released the seagull and fell onto his back with a thud. Seconds later Zilka landed on top of him in a rather uncomfortable position. "Oh, and flirty too!"

Zilka immediately blushed hard. She hadn't meant to land right on Lloyd's chest in a manner similar to just about every meet cute she'd ever seen on television. Except instead of some lovely white knight who had caught her fall with his rock hard abs, she'd instead squished right into the soft stomach of possibly the worst guy in the contest. He smelled like fried meat, had a gross rat stash he seemed particularly proud of, and had breath that reeked of bacteria.

"Gross!" Zilka gagged before trying to pry herself off Lloyd. Unfortunately the guy had hooked his arm around her shoulder and began laughing like this was all some kind of joke.

"Where's a kiss for a big hero?" Lloyd demanded right before he received a fist right in his mouth. He covered the orifice in pain while Zilka shoved off him and stomped away with an infuriating noise escaping her mouth. The looks, the attitude, and statements told her that Lloyd viewed her as nothing more than a joke. Finding it funny to mess with her sensibilities while also discrediting them as if they were a phase he expected her to grow out of. To make matters worse she had just been pressed up against his disgusting body. The rank smell of body odour and barbeque clung to her sense of smell like an infection. He was just missing the smell of tobacco and then he'd be perfectly gross and unappealing.

Another smell quickly hit her nose and it nearly made her vomit for a mere second. Rancid body odour mixed with dirt and leaf litter. It made her eyes water and immediately discredit her last statement. For a second she thought something had spoiled on a counter but the rank smell seemed to be really coming from the bar. Passengers gagged around her and waved their hands in front of their noses in disgust while Zilka realized the smell was actually from a person.

"No milk baby doll, cow milk is for cows, not people," Deek told the frustrated lady at the counter. The woman wanted to argue, that was written all over her face but the rancid lack of bathing wafting off Deek was enough to drive her away. Zilka blinked while the area cleared and she got a full sight of Deek. The guy probably hadn't ever cut his hair and actually had a small beard growing, a far cry from the disgusting greasy hairs on Lloyd's upper lip. She wanted to complain about the smell wafting off him but she was too amazed to back away and instead approached.

"You actually said no to a customer…" Zilka muttered with a blink. She could recall all the eggs she'd cracked, all the milk she'd mixed, and all the meat she'd served over the last few days under the threat of Lara's watchful eye.

"You're a lady right," Deek mused while running a cloth over the counter. The thing was stained and clearly hadn't been rinsed when it got grimy, a rule Lara enforced like crazy in the past.

"Yes," Zilka blinked while taking a seat at the bar.

"Well one day mother nature is going to gift you with children of your own. Those children will drink milk, not from other animals but from you. Imagine if you went to feed your child but all its food had been stolen by other creatures. Why, that would make you sad. Even if someone is bratty and ignorant I cannot let them steal from another animal's livelihood. That's why I dumped all the milk down the drain," Deek explained with a point to the sink. "Because that milk belongs to the cows, not the people who've been tricked into consuming it."

"Wow…" Zilka muttered with a blink. "And you didn't get screamed at for it?"

"Let me ask you something… Zilka isn't it?" Deek asked while flashing an ivory smile. "Are your feelings more important than the lives of hundreds, thousands, or even millions of animals?"

"Of course not!" Zilka exclaimed in response.

"Then my advice is to put aside people's perception of you and fight for what's right. You should punish those that abuse the system and bring justice to your brethren no matter the cost," Deek explained while holding his hand to the sky. "Now tell me, is there a reason you're walking past my bar with anger in your aura. It's clouding your thoughts."

"Lloyd's being a dink again," Zilka sighed. "Torturing animals, flirting with me… pretending my lifestyle is a phase."

"Justice can be hard, but in a game like Total Drama justice can be swift… If you catch my drift," Deek responded. Zilka's face instantly lit up the second he spoke.

"I think I'm picking up what you're throwing down," Zilka mused.

"I don't throw things… Too violent…" Deek responded in a cool and collected manner.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"People see me as strange because I sustain myself off a single carrot for lunch and don't bathe, those same people waste our resources and kill our planet," Deek explains while twisting his pinkie in his ear. "So let me ask you, who is the real strange one here?"

* * *

 **The Troublesome Turtles**

* * *

Now that there were only three teams and twenty seven players left on the ship, duties were stretched rather thin. Only seventeen players would be present for ship duties the next day and rehearsals were in progress. Normally an entire team was dedicated to the laundry room but as of that moment only two players were working it, and the person Kiara was paired with was none other than Jason, quite possibly the last person on the planet she would choose to be alone with.

Jason was so full of himself that he somehow believed she was smitten with his mere presence. He flexed his muscles, talked about things he didn't understand, and interrupted her at every chance he got. At first she had been fearful he would actually make a move on her, like wrapping his arms around her shoulders and whispering crass things into her ears. Thankfully she'd quickly discovered exactly what Jason expected and most of her fear evaporated on the spot, replaced instead by disgust.

Jason expected girls to just latch themselves onto him while he held them triumphantly. Ideally he wanted a blonde under one arm and a redhead under the other. Kiara was a redhead but Jason clearly wouldn't walk around with one girl, no, he needed either Lucile, Phoebe, or Natalie under his other arm before he'd parade around. He kept mentioning two girls who clearly didn't exist named Pamela and Gertie. They were of inconsistent body type with busts that varied in size depending on what Jason was into at the moment. In fact, they were so obviously fake that Jason kept swapping their features and had changed Pamela's name three times without loading a single washing machine.

Kiara knew exactly what he wanted. He didn't want to kiss her or spend time with her, that would require some actual charm. He just wanted her to marvel at him and see him as some kind of unrequited god. He wanted her to pine after him while he pushed away her advances alongside those of dozens of other girls. He was an attention hog with an ego the size of China, and to say Kiara was relieved when Bebe and Renee entered the room with dirty linens would be an understatement.

"Oh hey ladies, we were just spending some quality time together," Jason sighed with a smack of his lips. "There was a ton of making out…"

"Maybe he'd actually shut up if I kissed him," Kiara lamented in a tone of seriousness that caused Bebe to begin snickering.

"Maybe he'd do laundry as well," Renee commented while staring at the pile of linens Jason had been ignoring in favour of flirtation.

"Well, I like to do one big load and was waiting for you ladies to get back. I'm pretty much a linen wizard," Jason bragged before opening a nearby dryer and throwing several dirty towels into it.

"That's a drier genius," Kiara commented causing Jason to slick his hair back and grin at her.

"Of course, I was just testing you," Jason smirked before removing the towels and throwing them into a nearby washer. He then added more, and more, and more. He began to struggle to shove the towels into the washer while Renee sighed loudly and began muttering about how she was incredibly close to being on the purple team.

Jason eventually couldn't shove anything else in so he slammed the washer shut with considerable effort and hit the start button despite the fact the washer was overloaded and he'd neglected to add any detergent whatsoever. The second that washer began running the joke was over. The linens would not come clean if they were washed that way and Kiara knew this. She hit her head before approaching the washer, reaching out to stop the cycle. Jason however, slapped her hand away.

"I know what I'm doing," Jason announced.

"No you don't," Kiara replied before placing her hand on the washer again.

"Yes, I do," Jason repeated while slapping her hand away again.

"You just overloaded the washer, nothing will come clean," Kiara muttered causing Jason to break his little act of cool for a brief second. He slicked his hair back almost instantly though, and began to play it off as cool.

"I knew that of course," Jason laughed before placing his hands right on the washer door. Kiara shouted for him to turn the cycle off first but the boy wasn't listening. He opened the door with the washer still running and water instantly pooled out of the machine and onto their shoes, sopping through the fabric and drenching their socks.

"Moron," Kiara huffed.

"I hear wet socks are great for the skin," Jason announced with a smile.

"No," Kiara sighed while placing her hands on her face. "No they're not…"

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I think Jason was dropped as a child," Kiara laments before looking directly at the camera. "If his mother is watching this… Could you do it again and see if it fixes him?"

* * *

"Welcome to Spain," Chris announced as the players gathered before him and the looming building behind him. Massive pinnacles of stone, stained glass windows, and hundreds of gargoyles donned the face of it. As soon as Chris spoke massive church bells went off from within the building made of solid stone and being flocked by tourists.

"I'm ninety percent sure I'll burst into flame if I walk in here," Natalie commented the second everyone had gathered.

"Europe is home to some of the most impressive churches and cathedrals known to man. This one happens to be the last one created by famed architect Fernando Fernandez, a very pious man responsible for the design of at least a dozen Spanish churches, all of which are equipped with massive bells, beautiful stained glass, and elaborate systems of crypts…" Chris trailed with a very knowing smile that instantly sent fear rocketing through Liam's body. "Your challenge today is to go down into these crypts and find six hidden puzzle pieces that make up a copy a painting of the famous architect himself."

On cue Chef appeared with one of the ugliest medieval paintings anyone had ever seen. The thing looked like it was made of nightmares and featured an incredibly saggy old man with strands of hair hanging off his body and cheeks that had once been fat but had been starved into wrinkly skin desperate to retrieve the pounds that had once adorned it. The eyes were creepily staring at everyone there as if judging them and denying them entrance to his church.

"Fernando Fernandez is buried down there and it's said his spirit still haunts the crypts, terrorizing those with impure hearts," Chris whispered while wiggling his fingers in a creepy manner. "So of course we're sending you lot down there in hopes we can film a haunting. First team to return and reconstruct Fernando's painting wins the challenge, last team to do so gets to send someone adrift… Or leave them in the crypts, I'm not really picky."

With his part said Chris blew an air horn and the team instantly rushed into the church. It reeked of cheap popcorn and plastic but no one really cared. They just hurried to the entrance of the crypts while several men in slightly off church robes watched them run. Whispers escaped their mouths and they pointed to certain people with bony fingers Natalie chose to interpret as judgemental. She rolled in her eyes in exasperation while the teams reached the entrance to the crypt, a long winding staircases lit by lightbulbs. The second Liam smelled that stagnant underground air he froze in his tracks and stiffened.

Everyone rushed past him and he drew his hands close to his body. Footsteps rained down the stairwell while he inhaled and exhaled fearfully. He shut his eyes as panic swelled in him and with a tentative step he placed a foot on the first stone step. The second his foot made contact hands clamped around his mouth from behind. He gave a scream of surprise as a head loomed over his shoulder, bony fingers could lock his head but not his eyes. They were drawn to the ghastly and green face of the man he'd just seen in the painting. He spoke something in Spanish and made shushing noises while Liam screamed and was lifted right off the ground. A lighter fell where his foot had been and silence engulfed the entire hall. Not a soul stirred and not a single voice piped up from below to call for Liam's absence. He was just gone.

* * *

 **The Outrageous Orca**

* * *

As soon as everyone hit the bottom of the stairwell they were greeted by dozens upon dozens of stone caskets built into the walls and engraved with exceptionally old Spanish. Chris hadn't been lying about the vastness of the catacombs. They stretched in every direction with the shrivelled bones of Spanish knights, noblemen, and priests lining the walls.

Not wanting to go together, every team walked down a different hallway without doing a headcount. The Orca were off first and the nine players quickly moved down the best lit of the hallways. Since the area was so tight they quickly fell into a staggering line that only allowed two people to walk side by side, though very few took this option. Lloyd scratched his butt in boredom while Deek told Zilka about how he could still feel the auras of the deceased. This was total nonsense to Louise so he quickly pushed past Wilma and Yvonne to fall into step beside Phoebe.

"How was breakfast service this morning?" Louise asked with a tone of curiosity.

"Exhausting," Phoebe sighed with a rub of her eyes. "Chris doesn't give breaks does he?"

"Nope, and we have some sort of penalty for today too," Louise mused while pressing his fingers to his lips. "What kind of penalty could it be?"

"He's probably just docking us time. It's not exactly a challenge that can take complicated penalties," Phoebe replied before a darkness overcame her voice. "I can already tell he only picked a challenge like this because Raina's good at this type of stuff. He wants her to stay around so he can film us fighting. Joke's on him. There is no fighting, I've already won."

"I'm with you a hundred percent," Louise agreed with a wave of his hand.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I'm no idiot," Phoebe points out. "Louise tried to frame Raina back in South Africa which means he was the one behind those nasty letters. I don't trust the guy, but it doesn't do me any good to reveal that to him."

* * *

The steady pace of The Orca was suddenly stopped the second a loud scream erupted from the far end of the hall. Phoebe immediately held her hand up and the entire team stopped behind her. The scream sounded again and Phoebe narrowed her eyes into the half-darkness making out a figure approaching them with an unsightly gait. It stumbled left and right as if drunk and Phoebe took a responsive step backwards while it approached the light. The lightbulb fizzled out before its features could be read and it gave another horrendous screech while continuing to advance.

Every time it hit a light that bulb would fizzle out before they could get a good look at it. It kept screeching and moaning while shuffling forward. Phoebe wasn't sure what to make o it but she could only assume it was part of the challenge.

"We're not afraid of you," Phoebe growled while balling her fists into a fighting position. It was only then that a solitary lightbulb didn't fail. Ghastly legs coated in rotten flesh and tipped with bones stepped into the light while a figure in a ragged cloak stepped into the light with the sunken eyes the painting had sported. Its maw opened and an unholy scream erupted from every direction making some sort of feedback loop. Everyone covered their ears and in that instant the creature reached forward and gripped Phoebe's wrist.

"VIOLENCE!" The monster shrieked before yanking Phoebe forward and suddenly blasting the hallway with a gust of smoke. Everyone began coughing and hacking while the smoke cleared and the figure stared at them, no girl in its hands. Phoebe was completely absent and every single player staring at the creature paled in response. It gave another roar and this time no one hesitated. They all took off running, screaming their heads off and returning down the hallway. They rushed past the tombs while smoke erupted from the walls around them. With a final push they burst into the first room again and all gasped in shock.

The stairwell was gone, the roof was sealed, and it didn't look like an entrance had ever been there at all. A ghostly wail erupted from the hallway they'd just emerged from and no one spared a single second. They all scampered across the dirty floor and jetted towards the nearest hallway, shoving one another out of the way as they went. A ghostly moaning followed them, but not a single person looked back.

* * *

 **The Troublesome Turtles**

* * *

The loud crunch of potato chips made Roxie's eye twitch. Not because of the noise, but rather every time one occurred miniscule crumbs would fall onto the ground of the ancient tomb filled with dead people. Brad didn't seem to know how to consume the morsels and was intent to just take a bite out a huge chip, shattering it and losing his grip on it. He didn't make a motion to save the crumbs or anything either. In fact he brought the final crumbs up to his mouth by lifting the entire bag and dumping them into it. The excess salt and shards of chips spilled down his face and onto the ground of the tomb in an incredibly grotesque manner. Even more fell after that as Brad insisted on chewing with his mouth open.

"Have some respect for the dead," Roxie ordered while Brad just tossed the chip bag to the side without any thought. Roxie was instantly stunned by this action. Not only was it littering but it was littering in a tomb. The equivalent of pissing on a tombstone or spray painting a coffin. It was her job to now pick up that disgusting chip package. Not that an unsealable bag was disgusting. What was disgusting were the fingerprints all over it. Greasy prints that told Roxie all too well that Brad hadn't washed his hands that morning, or showered.

She wasted no time in picking that bag up with only her pinkie finger and the smallest portion of her thumb possible and marching it up to Brad. The boy had apparently smuggled in more food and was in the process of eating a chocolate bar when she approached. She held the bag out so he could see it with his chocolatey fingers he hadn't even bothered to lick clean of chip salt.

"Not mine," He proclaimed the instant the bag was in his face.

"You threw it aside," Roxie responded in a firm manner.

"Exactly," Brad stated before speeding up a little and finishing off his chocolate bar. He then tossed that wrapped aside and left Roxie standing there in bafflement.

She quickly bent down and scooped up that greasy wrapper as well, only touching the smallest corner. She could thankfully deposit it into the chip bag and march back up to Brad with anger fuming in her eyes. The second the boy saw her he rolled his eyes and looked away.

"Litter, germs, and dirt are not a joke Brad," a stern toned Roxie explained. "Do you know how much bacteria collects on garbage? Do you?!"

Roxie's rant would have continued but Brad simply rolled his eyes and touched her shirt, right above her belly button. Chocolate, salt, and what have you clung to the fabric in a greasy stain and Roxie gasped in shock the second she saw the festering stain. Panic began to erupt through her as she stared at the brown colour of chocolate seeping in the fabric. That stain would not come out, the germy writhing mess would stay there forever and haunt her until her dying breath. Everyone would point to it and proclaim she was filthy.

Brad and the rest of the team continued forward while she remained locked in place with her eyes quivering. The chip bag fell from her fingertips and she began shaking as if cold. Germs and crumbs of a foreign food she hadn't even touched seemed to cling to her fingers so she held them as far away from her body as possible repeating a mantra in her head about not touching her face until it was the only thought that permeated her head. She was about to scream when someone did it for her. Up ahead where her team had vanished someone let out a blood curdling wail before a complete stampede was upon her. Laughing erupted at the same time and her team rushed past her with Brad shoving her to the ground as he went, getting germs over her arm and body. She lay there quivering and got a pretty good look at what had been chasing her team. Some sort of ghastly ghoul rushing down the hallway with a body composed of bones and rotting flesh. It was in that instant that fear of Brad's germs were overwritten by fears of germs of from human corpses. Roxie stood bolt upright and gave the most panicked scream she had ever mustered before bolting after her team. Her fingers snatched that chip bag as she went, pocketing it so it didn't become ground litter, and bypassing most of her teammates. A headcount easily revealed that Lara was absent.

Roxie was the first one to burst into the entry room and collided with a solid wall instead of the stairwell that had definitely been there moments prior. The laughter died down and everyone turned to see the mist swirl down and settle on the ground. Roxie tried her best to pry open the empty wall but nothing good came out of it. She took a step back and began hyperventilating like crazy while her teammates all muttered in panic behind her, completely missing the point of the fear. They were trapped down there with what was likely thousand year old pestilence.

* * *

 **The Nasty Narwhal**

* * *

There sheer oddity of the situation before The Nasty Narwhal was difficult to place. The room in front of them was filled with every single puzzle piece Chris had mentioned. Six with an orange border, six with a pink border, and another six with purple adorning its edges. It was almost like the interns had decided to bum off work and failed to disperse the pieces. In fact, the purple painting was still intact with Fernando Fernandez's ugly mug staring them right in the face.

"Score," Natalie chuckled the second she saw the paintings. She wasted no time at all in trudging towards the completed painting.

"Careful," Diane requested causing Natalie to laugh in response.

"You know, while I'm up here," Natalie grinned right before she grabbed the orange pieces that were the future property of The Troublesome Turtles. She dropped them in a heap near her foot and began smashing them under her heel with glee in her eyes. "We can't have the other teams catching up…"

"Maybe you shouldn't do that," Elsa suggested.

"What? You scared? Is this guy going to kill you?" Natalie laughed while waving a pink piece around that just happened to have the guy's face on it. Much to Natalie's surprise everyone else paled while she chucked the piece away. A few of them even took a step back in fear. Natalie blinked before turning back to her team's painting, which was missing for no apparent reason. Natalie quickly turned back to her team with annoyance in her eyes. "Okay, who took the painting?"

"Meeeeeee…" A long drawn out voice responded. It sounded like sandpaper and made Natalie cringe with every second that passed. Chalky breathing followed while a tall figure stepped behind her with its shadow looming over her. "Children shouldn't be such cheats!"

The ghoul instantly wrapped its fingers around Natalie's neck and dragged her over to the wall while she squirmed and shouted. The ghastly figure tore off the top of a grave before shoving Natalie into the confined space. It then slammed the stone lid back on and began laughing.

"All who sin shall meet her fate!" The ghost shouted before ghoulish fog erupted from the spot it was standing and with a puff it was gone. The room was upsettingly quiet which made what happened next even more horrifying. That grave Natalie had just been shoved into suddenly slid off the wall and landed on the ground with a thud. The top creaked off and everyone was treated to the sight of a bleached white skeleton wearing Natalie's clothes. Panic was quickly established with even Olga shrieking her head off, and the entire group was scampering out of the room before the ghost could even think of coming back.

* * *

 **The Outrageous Orca**

* * *

Panic and dread surged through the team as they hit various walls and dead ends. The entire underground was just one confusing maze and no one could figure it out no matter how much effort they put in. The panic and running eventually led them to a large chamber where they found themselves colliding with other players in a similar state of panic. The three teams were suddenly being mixed and matched with players latching onto their old teammates, squaring off, and pointing fingers in suspicion.

"You're behind this aren't you!" Jason exclaimed with a point at Yvonne.

"How could I be responsible?!" Yvonne demanded in response.

"You're some kind of actress, figure it out!" Jason shouted back.

Trevor clutched Wilma shakily while Bebe tripped over nothing in a continuous loop of patheticness. Raina watched the events unfold before her with hands running through her hair. She could still apply logic but a number of people had been spooked. Even her own teammates were losing it. Lucile was shaking Nadie and demanding to know where Liam was while Yvonne was six seconds away from a fistfight with Jason. The utter panic made her clench her eyes shut and raise her voice for what felt like the first time in forever.

"STOP!" She screamed, and much to her shock everyone did. People ground to a halt, stopped pointing at one another, and gazed at her curiously. In an instant she had so many eyes on her that blood rushed to her cheeks.

"Whaaaat?" Lloyd demanded with his voice coming out as an elongated drawl.

"Guys, Chris sends us into a seemingly haunted crypt and we just so happen to find the first evidence of the supernatural while down here?" Raina asked in a tone of utter disbelief.

"What do you mean first evidence?" Diane demanded with an air of complete seriousness.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Since I have so many siblings I tried my best to discover my thing," Diane admits while playing with a lock of her hair. "I decided to try out a spooky phase with ghost communing, black eyeshadow and clothing, but decided to quit when I discovered ghosts are really, really boring. They just want to know how your day is and what corn chips taste like. I can only learn your name so many times Sir Orvan, can we move onto another question please?"

* * *

"Raina's right!" Yvonne exclaimed in agreement. "Every season Chris pulls a challenge like this. Serial killer loose on the island, radioactive spider, British mystery murderer that should have been dead by that point… We're totally being punked!"

"But Natalie's clothes… On a skeleton…" Erin mumbled while hiding his body behind Stephen. "She was so young!"

"Chris does have access to our belongings…" Diane admitted with a finger tapping on her chin.

"Keep talking like that and you'll disappear too…" A shout called in reply.

"Was that a threat?" Diane demanded while looking out over the crowd of teenagers.

"Yeeeeeessss…" The voice replied in a much hoarser tone that made everyone look up to see the very phantom they'd been running from seated on one of the support beams and swinging his leg like a bratty child. The rancid smell of underground and mustiness was only matched by the rancid scent coming from Deek's body, not that it bothered the monster.

"Nice try Chris, we know this monster is a fake," Yvonne announced cockily. "He doesn't even have a good Spanish accent…"

"Such pride is sinful," The creature muttered while twisting its own head upside down in the most uncanny way imaginable. It then gave a roar and suddenly fog erupted from seemingly nowhere. The thud of the figure's feet hitting the ground bounced off the stone and a loud shriek erupted seconds later. Everyone tensed up and started to back away. As they went Lucile bumped into something and froze. She turned around to find a stone figure behind her. Yvonne's face twisted into a frozen scream of terror. The fog was thinning and in that thinning fog they could see the ghoul grinning at them. It took a total of three seconds for everyone to bolt and their pace only increased when Bebe tripped and had her ankles grabbed by whatever was chasing them.

"HELP!" She shouted before she was dragged into the greenish fog and silenced somewhere in the darkness.

"Liam, Phoebe, Lara, Yvonne, and Bebe! What's the pattern?!" Elsa demanded while they ran.

"Isn't it obvious," A dry voice responded causing Elsa and The Rest of The Narwhal to grind to a halt. Somehow the ghoul had moved from the shadows behind them to the hallway in front of them. It was like it had teleported or something. "The impure must dieeeeeeee…"

"IT"S GONNA KILL ME! IT'S GONNA KILL ME!" Olga screamed while shaking Helden.

"Riff raff first," The ghoul grinned before throwing its hand out. And by throwing it had literally thrown its hand. The fingers closed around Nadie's mouth and she was dragged towards it like the creature had snagged her with a fishing rod. She screamed through the hand covering her mouth but that didn't do her any good. The ghoul had its fingers on her in seconds. Then with a puff of fog it had vanished leaving six Nasty Narwhals in various phases of panic. Olga being the most concerned and Diane being the least. Diane just gave a small cough and rubbed her nose at the odd smell lining the corridor. She gave a quick sniff before pursing her lips suspiciously.

* * *

 **The Troublesome Turtles**

* * *

An ancient ghost was haunting them, upset by their actions, and seemed to demand respect. If they didn't act their best then that ghost would take them and do who knows what to their bodies. In fact, sneaking around in a single file line wasn't likely to protect them. All of this was pretty obvious to Roxie but she could hear the loud crunch of potato chips behind her. Once again they were eaten in a messy manner with crumbs falling to the ground and cheesy fingers leaving marks on the walls. Every time this happened Roxie felt her eye twitch in annoyance. Over and over again a chip would be munched on before a few seconds of silence would reign. Then it would start up again with the crinkling of a bag and that crunching noise followed by open mouth chewing.

Brad was disgusting, on multiple levels. He clearly didn't bathe properly, didn't wash his hands, and was constantly eating messy food and leaving trails everywhere. To do this in on the ship was one thing, but to do it in a tomb was another altogether. Even if the ghost was fake, Brad was still being exceptionally disrespectful and rude. Probably picking up crypt germs and funguses too.

She wasn't going to make eye contact with him though. There was chocolate pressed into her shirt and she was holding her hands like they were infected with the grossest of germs. For all she knew Brad didn't wash his hands after using the bathroom and her fingers were teeming with whatever ecosystem lived in his gut. She wouldn't run her fingers through her hair, straighten her shirt, or keep herself from looking unruly until she saw a sink. So strands of her hair had fallen over her face, her shirt had been ruffled by all the movement, and one of her shoelaces was undone. She was mad and refused to even look at her teammate out of fear of getting that gross cheesy chip dust on her skin or something. She could just picture orange stains on the grey sleeves of her undershirt and it made her shiver to imagine trying to wash them out.

The downside to ignoring Brad was that he wasn't going to stop annoying her anytime soon. She was trapped between a rock and a hard place. No bathrooms, sinks, or pools of sanitized water were in the relative vicinity, and Brad seemed to know she didn't like filth. He wasn't just ignorant to being dirty but seemingly proud of it. How someone could be proud of being a slob was beyond her, and the mere fact he had, without any hesitation, touched her was freaking her out. He'd just reached out and touched her shirt. For all he knew she had washed it in water infested with parasites or used it as a rag to dry her sweaty armpits after a shower. You didn't just touch people, you didn't know where they'd been or if they'd flushed a toilet without closing the lid. Those germs did not stay in the toilet, Brad could have gotten toilet fingers from her if she was any other human being.

And sure maybe she'd annoyed him with her judgemental glares but that didn't just excuse him to wipe food on her shirt like it was a napkin. In fact, it didn't excuse him making physical contact with her, or standing within three feet of her. She could smell his breath and it warranted at least six feet of distance in order to disperse properly. All those germs swirling around in his breath and breeding on his tongue while he chomped away on junk food. Or rather previously chomped away at it. The crunching had stopped and she could hear his laboured breathing, likely from some untreated viral infection causing his nose to run excessively and leak down into his lungs.

To make matters worse it was almost like Brad could hear her thoughts as seconds after she had them she felt his hand tap her shoulder. It sent shivers down her spine and she considered burning the garment in response. Cheesy powder clinging to the fabric and probably wafting around him in a cloud. Did chip dust do that? Could it transmit diseases? If it got airborne it definitely called for an intense scrubbing of her hair the second she got back to the ship. She needed access to the cleaner showers in first class, especially now that she was no longer on a team with Olga and that disgusting loofah she owned. In fact, she was just pleased to be on a separate team from Olga in general. That girl only used one towel, head germs in her armpits, butt germs on her feet. It made Roxie want to ralph and it nearly became a reality when Brad tapped her shoulder again.

Thankfully she had enough control to prevent herself from vomiting on the crypt floor and pissing off more than just the one ghoul. She had just managed to stop gagging when Brad's hand fell completely on her shoulder. Five fingers no doubt covered in cheese powder marking her shirt with their filthy fingerprints. Even she couldn't keep her composure any longer. She slapped his hand away and began gagging and brushing herself off like that could get the germs off. Any that were on her spread from her fingers onto her clothing and through her body. She could feel a chilled tingle that she interpreted as that disease spreading until it covered her from head to toe. She was fanning herself in disgust and hopping in place like that would somehow kick the microbes off her but it was too late. She gave a defeated sniffle and turned ready to simply sit on the ground and lie on her side until someone brought her hand sanitizer, but she got a full view of the person behind her, and it was not Brad.

The guy had been replaced, replaced by something far worse than a smelly slob with fingers coated in two weeks worth of salty skin excrement. It was an animated corpse no doubt writhing with maggots and flesh hungry insects carrying thousand year old plagues. Her eyes went wide and she took a step back, no longer concerned over the chocolatey fingerprints on her shirt. There was a ghost before her and it looked angry.

"Such uncleanliness is a sin," The ghoul stated while stepping forward and causing everyone to take a step back.

"Relax people, it's only after the sinful," Jason announced with a broad grin and gesture to himself. "My purity will surely scare the creature off…"

"Such pride," The ghoul gasped.

"I try," Jason responded with a wink before the ghost reached forward and grabbed Jason's shirt. Fog erupted all around them and it drew Jason close while making an unholy sucking noise.

"CORPSE GERMS!" Roxie screamed before shoving past her teammates and running down the hall. A few looks were exchanged before the remaining four took off after her with screams on their lungs. As they vanished down the hall some of the fog cleared revealing the ghoul to be alone. It narrowed its eyes after them before the fog consumed it and it vanished again.

* * *

 **The Outrageous Orca**

* * *

"You know this is only happening because we continue to harm animals despite there being alternatives." Zilka stated in a matter of fact tone that made Lloyd's eye twitch in complete annoyance.

"A thousand year old monster hates us because of animals? You really are stupid," Lloyd laughed with a roll of his eyes. "When are you going to learn that animals are animals, they're dumb, fall for the simplest traps, and are meant for eating!"

"They're friends!" Zilka exclaimed in response.

"They're food!" Lloyd shouted back.

"Are we a hundred percent certain Chris formed the teams randomly?" Wilma asked while pointing at the bickering duo before them.

"Unfortunately, this is just circumstance," Lucile sighed before marching between the two and shoving them apart. "Will the two of you quit it?!"

"I won't quit it," Zilka replied with a huff. "He eats animals."

"That has nothing to do with our current situation," Lucile groaned while rubbing the bridge of her nose. "You can save the planet or whatever as soon as we figure out what's going on."

"We're being hunted by a ghost that seeks revenge for our sins, like killing animals for food," Zilka responded while glaring sideways at Lucile. "Meat must make you dumber."

"It's a good thing you're attractive or you'd never get anywhere in life," Lloyd laughed right before Zilka let out a roar and jumped him. The two began rolling back and forth at the bottom of the tomb in a ball of spit and fury that would occasionally jut a leg out and kick someone in the shin. Zilka shouted about respect for animals while Lloyd was citing all the times he'd shot deer and ducks while also rambling about all the elaborate mousetraps he and his dad built to keep the barn mouse free. It was clear she was being completely sincere about a love for animals while Lloyd's entire goal was to piss her off as much as he could. Everyone could see it in his eyes, a complete glee received from angering a vegan.

At this point they were impossible to separate, not that Lloyd was trying to brush Zilka off. She wasn't exactly strong and even though her slaps and punches stung a little they did nothing but send a small shockwave of pain through Lloyd. He was laughing and joking about how forward she was in starting their relationship. His comments about how he knew a really good steakhouse for the first date were sending Zilka into an even bigger rage.

"At least we know who the ghost will take next," Raina stated in a blunt manner.

"Oh really?" A chill inducing voice asked from behind them. The simple question made everyone on the team turn and start backing away from Raina while the phantom crawled down the wall and touched Raina's shoulders with its hands. It swung its creepy head around to face her and stared at her with dead eyes. Raina was positively shaken, quivering in place and sweating profusely. "I'd say you're quite the liar… AND LYING IS A SIN!"

Its tattered cloak was around Raina in seconds and fog erupted everywhere concealing the creature. Everyone turned to flee but found the ghoul behind them as well. It gave a roar of anger and threw its hand to the ground where Lloyd and Zilka lay. Both screamed and Lloyd quickly swung his leg and tripped Deek. They were out of the way quickly and the hand wrapped around Deek's sandaled foot before tugging him into the fog with a quick motion. He screamed for a few seconds before being cut off by the ghoul.

"Way to go Lloyd, Deek just died for your sins," Zilka commented through grit teeth while clambering to her feet.

"Is he gone?" Lloyd asked in panic. His answer came quickly, the fog dissipated and revealed them to be alone. Lucile, Louise, Wilma, Lloyd, and Zilka all standing alone in the crypt. Nearly everyone swallowed and clustered together fearfully, completely unsure as to where they needed to go or what they needed to do to avoid the fates of their teammates.

* * *

 **The Troublesome Turtles**

* * *

"Then there was that time when I was fourteen when I crossed the crosswalk while the hand was up. I should have waiting but my impatience got to me. I'm sorry for that," Trevor rambled before wracking his brain for the most miniscule tidbits of information he could draw out of it. At least sixty other mundane scenarios had been apologized for and his apologies were only matched by Roxie, who had taken to dusting off the filthy graves with her shirt sleeve. She was noticeably uncomfortable doing so but she figured the ghost must be angry that no one had been keeping its space clean for hundreds of years. It's what she would do. If her tombstone got filthy she would haunt every family member she had until it was cleaned. That was a promise.

Not everyone was in a repenting mood though. Josh and Kiara had both become convinced that there was no way out of this. Sure they weren't terrible people but both of them had done terrible things. Being brats at points in their lives or simply acting in an imperfect manner. Josh knew the likelihood of him being released was slim considering his habit as a child to shoplift candy. There were also his actions on the yearbook committee where he'd purposefully leave out pictures of the rude girls in his grade. Not a photo existed of Francis Shaw, not even her picture day photo used for class lists. Instead of twenty seven in his class there were only twenty six in the previous three. That's what she got for being the absolute worst.

Kiara meanwhile, knew this demon ghost thing would not appreciate her goth phase at all. Sure she had just been emulating her sister but she'd read some pretty raunchy stuff at the time. Blood, guts, and gore, it was all there in two years of solid scrapbooking. She went in looking pretty much the same as she came out but for two years it was dyed hair and pessimism. Then there was all the rambunctious teasing that had gotten on the nerves of a few friends. Impure of heart was definitely in her books and truth be told she wasn't going to apologize for anything. Why should she repent every minute detail of her life that wasn't perfect for some judgemental ghost with clear issues? That sentiment cemented her status as a future victim of the ghoul and she didn't want to spend her last few moments alive repenting to it.

"At the very least I admitted I liked you before we die," Josh stated while planting his hands on his hips and watching as Roxie gagged.

"Wanna die making out?" Kiara asked with a smirk crossing her face.

"Right now?" Josh asked with a disbelieving blink.

"It's now or never man," Kiara shrugged before grabbed Josh's shirt and dragging him around the nearest corner. Renee happened to watch them go with her lips pursed.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"It's clear to me this is some kind of survival challenge," Renee admits while tapping her chin. "I mean just look at the dead guy, whomever designed that costume clearly didn't realize that bones are thinner than human legs. Whatever though, if Josh and Kiara just want to wander off and not even try in this challenge then they can be the elimination fodder."

* * *

A scream erupted from around the corner roughly a minute after Josh and Kiara had rounded it. Probably enough time to settle in and just lock lips before the ghoul got them. Renee plucked herself off the ground while Trevor and Roxie hid behind her like she was somehow a big imposing being they could hide behind. However, both were taller than her meaning she was a terrible form of cover. They pushed her forward and she just remained stiff until she was moved around the corner. Sure enough Josh's hat was right on the ground while fog dissipated in the general area.

"What a shocker," Renee announced while picking up Josh's hat and slinging it onto her head, turning it sideways like some kind of punk in the process. Roxie and Trevor both audibly gasped and started whispering like they expected the ghost to return and snatch up Renee for daring to be rebellious. However, nothing happened, almost like an actor or two had grabbed the players and had to drag them away. It was a totally shocking and absolutely surprising turn of events. Renee couldn't have pictured it in a million years even if she had lived a million years and seen this happen a thousand times. It was that unexpected.

"What do we do now?" Roxie asked with a whimper.

"Pray for mercy," Renee replied in a rather morbid tone that made both her teammates gasp and bite their nails in fear. She just blew some hair out of her eyes in response.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Challenges like these make me seriously wonder how The Sinister Sharks were ever the dominate team," Renee laments while scratching her cheek.

* * *

 **The Nasty Narwhal**

* * *

The entire purple team was in the process of screaming and running away from The Ghost that was chasing them. It wasn't that fast and seemed more intent on being careful with its steps than catching up with them. This fact only made the purple team run harder, fearing this ghoul had some sort of plan. Every turn they made was being marked on a makeshift map by Elsa, but she feared they'd come across a dead end or a room with a locked door.

That creepy fog was spilling from the walls again, piercing from every small crevice between the tombs as if the dead themselves were offering support for the ghoul. It didn't help matters that they were entering a rather old area of the crypt, one with crumbling walls and dust clinging to everything. Clearly the original direction the Crypt was being dug, likely formed from some natural cave the church was built upon. At least until they discovered the much nicer other direction. This part was crude and obviously hand crafted. Hours of manwork had been put into it and suddenly the fog stopped. It lingered behind them and the ghoul had to spring from it, clothes billowing behind it as it picked up the pace.

The improvement was quite random and proved it could have been running faster much earlier. It quickly outpaced Diane and Elsa and curled its fingers around Stephen's wrist. The boy was much stronger but panic had made him susceptible to tricks and he was quickly tripped and grabbed by the ghoul. He clawed at the ground while it dragged him back towards the fog with a few grunts and muttered complaints. Stephen was then in the ghostly haze with Erin chasing after him.

"NO!" Erin screamed while falling to his knees just inside the wafting steam. "We were gonna be allies until the end!"

Any further crying was cut off by a ghastly hand grabbing Erin's shirt from inside the fog while a face made of nightmares emerged from it. "You shouldn't have trespassed," it hissed before giving a strong tug and pulling Erin right into the fog. He screamed for a few seconds before being cut off leaving the fog to slowly dissipate while the sound of stone against stone sent shivers down everyone's spines.

Helden gave a whimper while Elsa began jotting down a will and testimony to her family over her map. Diane however, took a look at all the undisturbed tombstones. No doubt the stone against stone sound had been one of the tops being pushed off and then returned it its original state. However, not a single tombstone showed any signs of disturbance. They all looked the same as they'd been earlier. She pursed her lips suspiciously and approached one of the tombs in question. Dust was lining it but that wasn't all. Tucked between two graves she could see a clear plugin, something that didn't belong in an ancient church tomb. They started a little after this older hand carved area but upon closer inspection the tombs clearly weren't carved out of the cave wall, they were in fact a completely different kind of stone altogether.

There were other strange oddities that weren't just related to the stone either. Diane reached into that crevice and her fingers parted the dust and slid a bunch of trash forward. The corners of candy bar wrappers and those ticket stubs people often get at carnivals. Stuff that definitely didn't belong in a crypt. In fact, without the lighting of the other rooms the rocks looked kind of fake, the inscriptions kind of off, and everything a little too perfect. Everything was lined up evenly, No patterns protruded left and right across the stone, and yet it was supposed to be some kind of crypt carved out of a single rock. In fact, when she hit the barrier where the fog had stopped she could feel a subtle bit of moisture in the air, almost like someone had been blasting steam nearby.

But the final clue was what sold it. Right where Stephen and Erin had vanished was a solid rock wall with horrendous scratch marks on the floor. The kind chairs leave on hardwood, rocks leave on glass, and, most importantly, what stone leaves on stone. Some sort of panel had slid open on the wall and in an instant all the terror left in Diane's mind departed. She walked over to a nearby grave and touched the lid. After a short pause she flung it open. It creaked upwards on hinges and instead of seeing a skeleton she was greeted with a bunch of excess wire, the stuff maintenance crews could access in amusement parks, hidden away inside a panel in the wall so it was always on standby.

"Hello beautiful," Diane grinned as she reached her hands into the grave and lifted the wire out.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Girl guides was a lot of boredom and prissy girls whose moms helped them sell hundreds of cookie boxes," Diane explains with a lowering of her eyes. "They used to throw new girl's clothing into the lake if they weren't ideal. I mostly kept to myself and inadvertently got good at tying knots. Guess it's coming in handy now…"

* * *

 **The Outrageous Orca**

* * *

"YOUR NEEDLESS KILLING HAS DAMNED YOUR SOUL!" The ghoul shouted, suddenly seeming to agree with Zilka's sentiment about its reasoning. It had already snagged Louise from behind and now seemed deadset on getting Lloyd into its fingers. Zilka had taken to assisting it, seeming more upset about Lloyd's hunting than the supposed death of her teammates. Skewed priorities if Lucile had ever seen them. Lloyd however, wasn't giving up without a fight and had started to throw things at Zilka and the ghost while Lucile and Wilma hid behind a grave.

Every crash and scream made the two of them flinch and exchange a look of concern over the argument their teammates were having. They knew for a fact that even if this was fake they were in for one hell of a time listening to those two bickering. Lloyd's pinning and prodding wasn't helping matters. It may not have been apparent to anyone at first but it had become clear just what kind of kid Lloyd had been. He was the type that probably sought out someone's buttons and pressed them until the person broke. The type that drove teachers up walls, parents to giving up, and friends into submission. He didn't care about the consequences, just wanting to see someone crack for his sick enjoyment. Maybe Zilka would calm down once he was gone but for the moment she had turned full blown animal avenger.

She'd seemed so quiet when she was a member of The Putrid Plankton but perhaps that was a side effect of Lara's overwhelming presence. Neither Wilma nor Lucile could make heads or tails of her normal interactions. The same went for Yvonne, Diane, and Bebe. Lara had been so center stage in all their minds that they had only the tiniest of ideas when it came to the personalities of their teammates. That went for every member of The Outrageous Orca too. Sure everyone knew one player or two but all nine was a bit of a stretch. There were bound to be wildcards seeing as certain team roles that had been filled on other teams were now open. Neither Wilma nor Phoebe had been the muscle of their previous teams and yet now they were playing that role. For some this was a good time to find their footing, but to others it allowed less than ideal personality traits to float to the surface.

"This is getting out of hand," Lucile muttered. "That ghost will get sick of this eventually and come after us!"

"Last thing I want is to be left alone with those two," Wilma responded with a sigh.

"Your wish can be granted," A creepy voice replied. Both girls quickly looked up to see the ghoul hovering above them, perched atop the grave they'd been hiding behind. The weird thing was it still sounded like Lloyd and Zilka were dealing with the ghost at the other side of the room. In fact the only reason the two had started talking was because they assumed the ghost was busy.

"RUN!" Lucile ordered but before she could react the ghoul had grabbed the scruffs of their shirts and hoisted them up.

"Which to choose," It mused before Wilma aimed a punch right at its face. This small movement made up its mind as it quickly released Lucile and caught the punch with its palm. The second it had its hands on Wilma and only Wilma fog began pouring into the room. It struggled against her as the mist thickened and the shouting of the two blurred with that of Zilka and Lloyd. Lucile covered her ears the second a loud grinding sound erupted. It made her bones tingle and her teeth spike with pain. She shouted in agony for a few seconds before ceasing. She cracked an eye open and looked left and right with pursed lips.

The grinding had stopped but the shouting resumed. She rocketed upwards and stared into the mist as it cleared, she hoped it was Wilma and the ghost but she knew better than to hope. It cleared enough and she frowned upon seeing Lloyd and Zilka wresting back and forth while shouting about slaughter houses and trophy hunting as they shoved each other about. Lucile gave a sigh and seated herself on the gravestone while rubbing her temples, hoping beyond all hope that the ghost came back for her.

* * *

 **The Nasty Narwhal**

* * *

"Oh no, I have been overcome with sloth and will now give up on any hope of escape," Elsa admitted in the most deadpan way possible as she lounged upon the tomb in the center of the room. If it were in fact a real crypt this would be exceptionally disrespectful. She was slowly pulling the pantleg upwards on her jeans, a move that probably would have been seen as heinous and unladylike in whatever century the ghost was supposed to be from, Spain.

In all honesty it shouldn't have worked at all. It was clear Elsa was acting as bait for a trap and one would have to be a moron to not see the snares littered on the ground. At least they would if they weren't followed by a thick layer of fog everywhere. It began to billow out of every corner from unseen fog machines and just as planned it thickened and hid the snares on the ground from view. A ghastly figure appeared at the edge of the room before approaching Elsa with exaggerated breath and slow movements.

During this time Diane's fingers gripped the rope she was holding tightly with Helden and Olga holding it above her, waiting for her signal. She could just make out the snare at the edge of the coffin, so well hidden it wasn't obvious to anyone who hadn't set it. The ghost moved closer and closer, getting into position with every step taken before finally its foot fell into the snare and Diane gave a shout of a signal.

The ghoul was shocked but that shock didn't last long or show through the mask. It was ensnared and dragged to the floor before it could even react. At that exact moment Olga let out a shout and ran towards it leaping into the air and landing atop it. She was followed by Helden, Elsa, and finally Diane. They didn't need four people to pin the ghoul down thanks to Olga's weight, but it felt nice to crush the man who had been messing with them all afternoon. A couple of minutes and high fives passed before the ghost squeaked out, "uncle," and they were able to get off him and hold him hostage. With their ghost captured and the challenge clearly won a bunch of speakers roared to life and as expected Chris' laugh echoed over them calling every player to gather at the stairs.

Why had the stairs disappeared earlier? They'd been retractable of course, but no one had thought of that in the panic the ghost caused, or rather ghosts. Because as soon as the four Nasty Narwhal players arrived at the stairway with their ghost in tow they found two guys in ghost costumes near Chris that had taken their masks off. The release of the guy they'd caught also revealed him to be flesh and blood.

Anyone who had been captured was also there, either annoyed or indifferent to the results. Chris didn't really have to say who won, it was kind of obvious to anyone looking but still felt sweet to The Nasty Narwhal's ears anyway. That announcement was responded to with grins and exchanged high fives while Diane was patted on the back several times for her accomplishment. They'd be staying another night in first class and there wasn't a thing anyone could do in response but look annoyed and huff.

"How'd you figure it out?" Erin asked while approaching the rest of his team.

"The ghosts were only targeting those they perceived as bad, not the truly bad," Diane laughed with a cross of her arms. "I'm a middle child and get into tons of mischief for attention and yet it didn't even move towards me once."

"And because of your quick thinking and intelligence you get a special reward," Chris beamed causing Diane's face to light up with joy. "You get to pick one player on your team and send them to loser class for the evening with promises of work in the morning and no relaxation whatsoever."

"How is that a reward?" Diane demanded while her face fell.

"She's going to just make enemies that way," Olga agreed.

"Then you'll know the burden of being the best," Chris responded with a coy grin as Diane's eyes went wide and she swept her gaze across the eight teammates she had with a blank expression on her face. She'd just met the lot of them, no one was pure evil on the team, and they'd all been incredibly helpful.

"I guess I pick Liam…" Diane trailed, causing Liam to look over at her without an expression change. This simple glance sent the hairs on her neck upright in panic, worried he might beat her up if she didn't elaborate. "I mean he was captured first so…"

"Fair," Liam shrugged in acceptance, though it was pretty clear that not everyone in the game would take this punishment as openly. Everyone watching could only picture the seething hatred someone like Lara would give off if they were ever selected to miss out on a reward.

With The Nasty Narwhal all sorted there was only one manner of business left. The Troublesome Turtles and Outrageous Orca had both failed to capture their ghost and had both been whittled down to three players each. Both team glanced at each other and narrowed their eyes in preparation for some kind of tie breaker. Each player was looking for weak points on the other team and making things out so that they were the best of the best. Lucile was just about to ask what the challenge would be when Chris announced the loser with seemingly no warning or evidence.

"The Outrageous Orca are headed to elimination tonight," Chris announced with a point at the pink team.

"But… we tied…" Yvonne trailed in a tone of sadness.

"Consider it your punishment for coming in last place when you merged," Chris responded with a pride filled grin, "The good news is the next penalty will not be determined by which team places last but by which team performs the worst at work tomorrow morning."

No one really thought it was fair but no one had the heart to argue either. They all just filed out of the building, realizing it was some kind of tourist scare house put on by the locals as they went, and back onto the bus. The Narwhal celebrated, the Turtles complained about their upcoming bout of work, and The Orca whispered in hushed tones about where their votes were headed. Phoebe definitely wanted to vote off Raina but that wasn't where the team's head was at the moment.

"The Sharks were all in agreeance on a vote," Louise told her from the window seat, "And I'm sure this team will come to the same conclusion eventually, but for now we should be focusing on earning a reputation of teamwork with the new team."

"Fine," Phoebe huffed in response before glancing across the aisle where Raina sat alone. There was no doubt Raina had heard their entire conversation and that just made Phoebe narrow her eyes in disgust and annoyance. Both mad at Raina and angry that they could potentially be The Putrid Plankton of part two of the game.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"My concern is that Raina will slip through the cracks and slink into the next part of the game," Phoebe growls. "For all I know this could be the only time we lose for the rest of our tenure as a team."

* * *

 **The Nasty Narwhal**

* * *

Multiple congratulations were in order the second the purple team was back in first class. Diane was given more attention than she even thought possible, being from a big family she was used to having the attention dividing into the smallest segments possible with some people clearly dominating over the others. She'd learned how to do practically everything by herself whether it was homework or cooking when her parents had too much on their hands. In fact, she was usually only called on when there was work to be done. All but her oldest sister claimed that this was called the middle child curse, being overlooked by their parents because they weren't the adorable baby anymore.

Of course most of her team didn't know about this, none of them knew they were giving her some much needed attention and the compliments were absolutely golden. They weren't just calling on her because they wanted her to take the blame for something, it was genuine attention and she was absolutely enamoured by it, soaking it in and hoping the praise continued.

Unfortunately for her it was like a match had been lit, it hit the bottom of the wood pretty quickly and went out leaving everyone to separate. All that wonderful attention was just gone and no one seemed to even care anymore. She was immediately frowning and wishing it would come back, squeezing up close to her teammates hoping they'd throw out another compliment. They didn't, instead they just resumed conversations from the morning. People like Nadie were pretty quiet and Olga was pretty quickly on the television. Any other attention was quickly poured onto Elsa and Natalie, who had quickly taken to gossiping about the other teams.

"Did you see Josh and Kiara holding hands?" One would ask before a bunch of insults were flung at Josh's hair and Kiara's body shape. It was kind of gross actually. Both girls were pointing at Kiara and proclaiming she was fat despite the fact she clearly wasn't. She wasn't exactly a beanpole like the two sitting at the table but apparently having a curvier body equated to disgusting piles of dripping fat.

All that attention had been flipped around and Diane simply sat the table feeling trapped near the two girls who had definitely been praising her the most. They didn't even seem to realize she was there and Diane gazed at the floor the second that happened. She didn't take long to push herself away from the table and walk away with her hands pocketed. The other girls watched her go with half closed eyes and sideways glances as if they'd been waiting for her to leave so they could turn the gossip onto her.

Diane let out a sigh and walked away with her eyes on the floor, absolutely certain she'd need to stick out tomorrow, because even though she'd managed to make a name for herself like Liam said, it had slipped through her fingers quicker than she could even comprehend.

* * *

 **The Outrageous Orca**

* * *

A fading sunset signalled every member of the pink team to shuffle down to the elimination deck with hands pocketed and eyes averted. They'd just become a team and instead of spending a night bonding in first class they were about to cut a member loose. They'd all seen The Pathetic Plankton in the first part of the game and if they started losing a lot it would almost be like history was repeating itself with no hope of escape.

Of course, no one could really think too hard over the sounds of Lloyd and Zilka at it again. Everyone was sick of hearing the phrase "Meat is murder," and Lloyd's obnoxious responsive laughter. It had been fine when he'd snickered occasionally but when he was doing it roughly every six minutes it was nerve wracking to everyone present. Both were certain the other would go home with Lloyd claiming he'd kill the seagulls that terrorized the ship the second she was gone. She'd meanwhile proclaimed that with his absence everyone present would become vegan like she was despite the fact everyone else had been eating meat before they'd met Lloyd.

The arguing didn't stop until they reached the rear pool and sat down. They were all interrupted by Chris who gave a large whiff to the air and sighed happily, proclaiming that tension was his favorite.

The rules were the same as they'd always been, every player would cast a vote, majority ruled, and you couldn't vote twice or your vote was null. The new team all headed to the confessional one by one to say their final thoughts and cast their final votes. It was pretty clear who was on the menu that evening but that didn't stop players like Raina from worrying. For all they knew a curveball could be thrown and Yvonne would go home. No one had really been able to show off their skills during the challenge so the exact capabilities of the team were unknown.

Despite this, every player stamped a passport one by one and gathered back around the pool to await the ceremony. Zilka glared at Lloyd and Lloyd back at Zilka. If it weren't for the vast majority of the team being between them Zilka might have started punching Lloyd while he laughed and joked about how hot she'd been. Yvonne hadn't ever seen Zilka like this and Phoebe had likewise never seen Lloyd behave in this manner. They just brought the worst out in one another and no one wanted to hear another second of it.

"The following players are safe…" Chris trailed as his eyes swept across the players on the boat. "Deek…"

"Thank you," Deek nodded with a slight bow. The raising of his arm to catch the mint let loose a billow of foul scented air that caused Louise to cover his nose in response.

"Lucile and Louise," Chris continued as the two former Calamari caught the mints they'd been thrown. "Phoebe and Raina."

Raina gave a deep exhale of relief while Phoebe caught her own mint with pursed lips, angry that Raina had survived another elimination ceremony despite her promise.

"Wilma and Yvonne," Chris concluded before turning his head to face the final two members of The Outrageous Orca, Zilka and Lloyd. She grew a smug expression while he kissed his hand and blew it to her with a coy grin spreading across his face. Both of them definitely thought they were safe in that moment, but Chris raised the mint regardless of what they thought, "The final mint of the evening goes to…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

… Zilka," Chris concluded with a throw to Zilka. Lloyd was absolutely shocked by this outcome with his mouth prying itself agape in a look of loss. Zilka giggled to herself as she threw the mint into her mouth and watched Lloyd stand up and walk to the lifeboat with his eyes widened. Before the mixer he hadn't even been a target, no one had even thought of eliminating him. In fact, he'd been outlasted by Raina. He didn't know what to think so he just stumbled to the lifeboat and fell into it. Chris wasted no time in cutting him loose and sending him plunging into the ocean below with a splash.

Everyone left on the team gave an exhale of relief before standing up. They were all hoping that with Lloyd gone Zilka's more extreme take on her beliefs would die down. No one was prodding her continuously so she had no real reason to do it. They all stood up and shuffled away, all except Deek, who approached Zilka with a smile on his yellowing teeth.

"This is a victory for all those who believe in the rights of animals everywhere," he announced while a broad smile spread across Zilka's face. "Mother Nature thanks you, your task now is to not let momentum slip through your fingers and continue to fight for her rights."

"Hey you two!" Chris shouted from across the deck, drawing their attention. "Enough chatter, the kitchen is filthy, go clean it!"

"Aye aye sir," Zilka saluted before the two of them walked away under the watchful eye of Chris McLean.

* * *

The kitchen was indeed filthy, with only the dishes washed and put away. The floor was coated in dried chunks of lettuce, the stove had sauce burnt onto it, and someone had spilled what looked like yolk on the floor and proceeded to trod all over it. Zilka was immediately disheartened the second she saw the baby chicken smeared on the ground like a spilled smoothie. The entire air just reeked of the murder of animals. The air smelled like garlic butter hinting to the fates of many poor crabs while flecks of cow carcass dotted the cutting boards, seasoned with fine spices that could have been better used in more earth friendly dishes.

"Disgraceful," Deek muttered with a shake of his head while Zilka watched him. "If only people realized there were alternatives to killing."

"Yeah," Zilka sighed before getting to sweeping. Burnt chips of French fries sat around the fryers while discarded cheese sat near the oven. Even the concept of harvesting milk from other animals for human consumption bothered her. She couldn't for the life of her figure out why someone had one day decided to defile a cow and consume the fluids that came out of it. She had to wonder how many calves had starved because of human greed.

"If they learn the truth they'll back off the second they're killing something. Show someone an egg and they'll say it's an egg but show them a chick and suddenly they can't eat it," Deek announced while he swished the mop back and forth. This caused sparks to erupt in Zilka's head and a thought quickly formed in her mind. She could imagine some gentlemanly person being served an egg only for it to hatch and the gasp of horror that would erupt on his face once he realized it was alive.

Fantasies began to fill her head of everyone on the cruise ship hatching the eggs they'd been eating instead of consuming them. Baby chickens covered in fluff peeping and pecking at bird seed. With their support she'd win the game and buy a bunch of acres of land she'd fill with as many dogs as humanly possible. Her parents would finally have to cave and let her care for those puppies. They'd come to her home, get over their allergies, and live happily with her instead of cramming themselves into offices all day and refusing any contact with the adorable critters that dug in their trash or infiltrated their backyard.

But one thing at a time. Zilka turned her head towards the fridge and bit her lip tightly, recalling Lara screaming at her and breaking egg after egg, snuffing out life after life as she made food for passengers who just doused the scrambled corpses in ketchup and threw half of it away. She wanted so bad to save as many animals as she could after the game but what was stopping her from doing so before the game even ended?

The fridge was pulled open and Zilka was greeted with all the eggs that had been prepared for the next morning. Shells of various whites and browns all mixed together with lives inside them. All about to die for the morning consumption. Zilka let a smile crawl over her face before she let go of the broom and reached into the refrigerator.


	16. Tomb Raiders

**Total Drama Ocean Cruise**

 **Chapter XVI: Tomb Raiders**

 **Written by The Firebending Frog**

* * *

"Hello again," Liam muttered as his spoon scraped around the frigid porridge Chef had served for breakfast. It was so cold it could be used as building material, the right type of scoop resulted in a small ball that could be stacked and formed into a snowman. He'd eaten it before and was ninety percent sure it wasn't actually oats, but rather things Chef had scraped off the kitchen floor and mixed with whatever walls were made of.

After they'd won the merge challenge Liam had been certain his team would be riding high and chowing down on five star breakfasts, and he was right. Unfortunately, he wasn't with them and was instead seated alone watching the other teams converse amidst themselves and ask Chef questions about what they were eating.

"There's no meat in this right?" Zilka asked, only to receive a growl from Chef in response. Liam knew there was meat in it, the maggots crawling around the bowl were all the protein anyone needed to survive.

Each table had a new designated tablecloth, with one of them being empty and stacked in the corner with its benches. The Purple cloth was absolutely spotless while the Orange one had a massive gross spot where Brad had decided to sit. Chef never cleaned the tables so the stains didn't ever leave. At the very least it provided entertainment in the form of Roxie, who refused to even hold her food over the tablecloth, let alone spill a solitary morsel. Liam had to wonder why she wasn't fat, he could picture every extra calorie that she never let go to waste and yet she was thin as a rod. She kept giving him glares while he played with his food, making sure to mark the table with oil stains the porridge somehow gave off. It now had the words _Liam Wuz Here_ greased into the fabric, a persistent reminder that he was the first to eat in grossville, population eighteen. Lloyd was gone now which had no impact on Liam whatsoever. He only knew the guy's name from sheer exposure. In fact, he knew everyone's name now. There were no whiny kids that were kicked off first or absolute bores that he kept thinking he was imagining. He was quite certain there'd been a guy on The Plankton at one point but couldn't remember if there had in fact been one.

There were ten guys left and sixteen girls, not that it really mattered what the demographics were. The Plankton had been entirely consistent of girls and The Orca were barely any different. He could count girls on the chopping block pretty easily. Raina, Bebe, and Lara. Those three were just bound for a lifeboat ride no matter what happened. In fact, the only shocking thing about the elimination the night before was that Raina wasn't the one to go.

"Diane better not send me down here again," Liam lamented with a sigh. "Natalie's probably undoing all my hard work."

"OY PUNKO! LESS DAYDREAMING MORE CHOWING!" Chef barked from his makeshift kitchen. Liam just rolled his eyes in response and stabbed his spoon as deep as it could go into the porridge. His spoon caught something and suddenly a big chunk of breakfast rose from his bowl with clear paper in it. Liam blinked and swept his hand over it, clearing the sticky gunk off the parchment.

It was an envelope and he didn't know what to do besides open it, so he did. It was slit and gutted within thirty seconds revealing a short letter addressed directly to him from Chris.

 _Congratulations Liam, your team has chosen you for exile! Because of this you'll get the very first clue to a very special Chris brand immunity idol, capable of being used at any elimination ceremony in the future. Your one and only clue is that the idol exists, for now you're the only player to be aware of this._

"No thank you!" Liam exclaimed while tossing the paper aside.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I'd rather not have a Chris shaped target on my back, thank you very much," a cross armed Liam rants. "The second I get back to first class my team is knowing about this stuff so I don't get targeted for potentially having an idol. I'm on a team with Natalie for goodness sake, if I don't be absolutely transparent she'll turn it against me. Gotta get rid of her ASAP now that I think of it…"

* * *

 **The Outrageous Orca**

* * *

"This is a complete disaster!" Yvonne ranted as she paced back and forth in the kitchen. The grumbles and complaints from the people in the dining room were being felt even back in the kitchen. The breakfast menu had been very clear about the items to be served. Eggs benedict with some world famous brands of sausage thrown in for good measure. The sausage was there, the English muffins were there, and even the fruit platters, fresh tomatoes, and juices. Everything except the eggs. Those were missing. No heads up had been given, just the sudden realization that the hyped up breakfast was unavailable.

It didn't help that customers just didn't understand, demanding to have what was advertised served and threatening the team if they didn't do so. No eggs meant absolute zeroes coming in. Things Lucile, Louise, Yvonne, and Zilka were used to but things Wilma, Phoebe, and Raina were disgusted by. Of those three no one had received an absolute zero on a review card and the mere fact they were receiving them was uncomfortable.

In fact, everyone on the team was pretty annoyed and panicky. Their chance to avoid a penalty in the next challenge had been squandered by one of the worst breakfast services the ship had ever seen. The only ones that weren't upset were Deek and Zilka. Deek was simply going on some spiel about gluttony and how people only needed to eat once a day or some nonsense about being one with nature. In addition he kept rambling about how many lives had been saved despite the fact the sausages were already made and the eggs weren't physically capable of hatching.

Zilka's coy grin was a little out of place though, and it instantly put a wave of suspicion onto her. Wilma and Yvonne were already forming conspiracy theories about Zilka discarding the eggs, but to call them theories was against logic. Zilka wasn't exactly secretive or embarrassed about the move, a response that confused just about everyone.

"They'll hatch in a few days," Zilka announced with a smile crossing her face. "And when they do this entire ship will realize they've been eating living beings all along…"

"They're unfertilized!" Lucile exclaimed in dumbfounded disbelief. Not only had Zilka spoiled an entire meal service, wasted a lot of capital, and got them a penalty in the upcoming challenge, but she was also smug about it. "Those eggs will just rot if they're not refrigerated. The only thing you managed to secure is a future assault on our noses."

"Pssh, whatever," Zilka replied with a roll of her eyes and strut towards the dishwasher. Complaints instantly erupted from the team. A number of insults flew from their mouths aimed at Zilka's lifestyle choice of forgoing meat and meat by-products altogether. The girl started scrubbing dishes while Lucile looked onwards.

"I'll talk to her," Lucile piped up, silencing any insults that were in the process of forming. "If I can get through to her she won't do this again."

"If she lasts that long," Louise scoffed before walking out.

"We voted off the wrong person last night," Yvonne growled while the entire team trooped out leaving Lucile alone with Deek and Zilka.

"She won't listen to you… slaver," Deek growled before marching out after the team. The sudden aggression made Lucile purse her lips. She then swung her gaze back to Zilka, who continued to scrub dishes. The only problem was she didn't know what to say.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"All this diet based drama is distracting from Raina," Phoebe mutters as she taps her fingers against her chin in annoyance. "And it's starting to piss me off…"

* * *

 **The Nasty Narwhal**

* * *

"-and then she actually wore it to school," Natalie giggled while Elsa gasped in shock.

"No way," Elsa giggled.

"Oh yeah, she transferred after that, couldn't live it down. Complete moron if you ask me," Natalie chuckled before flicking her hair back. "Anyway, to change the subject, I never did thank you for winning us first class."

"Oh it wasn't me, it was Diane," Elsa replied with a coy grin as she stood up to go pour herself more tea. Natalie took this time to glance at the bedrooms. Diane typically emerged fifteen minutes after a shower, giving her a total of three minutes to get what she wanted to emerge from Elsa's mouth.

"Oh posh, tell me, has Diane ever done anything of note before now?" Natalie demanded with a duo of hands planted on her hips. "If you ask me she couldn't have snared anyone by herself, it was all Olga's doing. Those weak scrawny guys couldn't have captured her if they tried. I bet Diane was just using Olga as a shield the entire time."

"I dunno…" Elsa trailed with a glance back at Natalie.

"Did you see the way she was clinging to her at the start of the challenge? You can't tell me she wasn't doing that for the entire day," Natalie chuckled with a disbelieving shake of her head.

"Well…" Elsa trailed as if wracking her brain for details.

"Give me the details," Natalie demanded as her smile spread over her lips. She could hear Diane's bedroom door creaking open, the girl starting to walk down the hallway towards them, out of Elsa's line of sight but still within hearing range.

"I mean, she did loiter around Olga quite a bit. Now that I think of it she was probably aware that Olga wouldn't be caught, relying on her to get through the challenge. Kind of a cheap move really," Elsa explained in a totally fabricated way. So desperate to keep the life of the gab session intact that she was willing to trick her brain into believing made up information. It was candy to Natalie's ears. She couldn't have asked for better timing. Diane froze down the hallway, clearly eavesdropping on their conversation like the middle child she was.

"You think so?" Natalie asked while Elsa came to sit down at the table again with fresh tea.

"Oh I know so, if you ask me she's just using the same strategy she was on The Plankton…" Elsa muttered while clearly deep in a think tank, recalling memories that Natalie was manipulating into existence.

"You don't mean she's just using us to coast by?" Natalie gasped in false shock.

"Have you seen her? If you ask me she should have gone well before half her team, but she just slipped by into this part of the game with no friends or enemies. A player like that is dangerous. You just overlook them over and over again," Elsa explained like she was some kind of expert.

"So you're saying credit for yesterday went to Olga?" Natalie questioned while trying to hide her smile.

"Definitely," Elsa nodded in response.

"What a shame, she seemed so happy," Natalie muttered while taking a sip from her drink.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"And now I just need to prod Diane a little and she'll be right in my pocket," Natalie smiles while seating herself delicately. "The sooner Olga is off this team the sooner I can start running it…"

* * *

 **The Troublesome Turtles**

* * *

"Will the following members of The Troublesome Turtles please report to the losing class dining area," The speaker started, drawing everyone's attention in the process. "Bebe, Jason, Kiara, Lara, Josh, and Brad…"

Not everyone called was in the same place, in fact, most of them had just finished up with their daily housekeeping duties when the announcement came. They muttered to one another about what they could be called for and a few goodbyes were quickly given. Renee found it kind of annoying she wasn't called though. She watched Josh run out of the room leaving her to finish cleaning it.

Sure the passengers who treated the room as a space they could mess up all they wanted were unbearable, but kids were second on that list. Particularity the ones with devices. Phones, handheld game systems, and tablets were plugged in, and in response every other electronic had its plug pulled. Resetting a clock was never a simple task, she couldn't just do some monotonous motion to reset it. She had to drop everything, leave, and find the nearest clock before setting it to the exact time it needed to display. She didn't own a watch so she had to devise a way to keep track of time without one. The stupid announcement had thrown her off again, forcing her to forget the time altogether and trek back to the nearest room and relearn it.

Vacuuming was swift, bed making was basically second nature by that point, and the room was closed and locked up as soon as the minibar had been stocked. She didn't move into a new room though, she'd heard the names that had been called and knew for a fact one particular teammate wouldn't get anything done unless she had assistance.

She eventually found another cleaning cart on the third floor, just outside an open door. As expected Roxie was present in the room and tidying up the minutest details like she was a maid in some kind of uberly rich household. Renee instantly sighed the second she saw the obsessive cleaning. She trudged forward and drew Roxie away from the curtains she'd been straightening and told her she had it under control. It was a fib she let loose quite often, but one Roxie seemed to believe. It was enough to send Roxie on to the next room and let Renee play with the curtains for a good two minutes. Nothing really changed about them but the time spent was enough to get her off the hook with her two time teammate.

Once she was done she followed Roxie to the next room and watched the girl zip to and fro cleaning things quite expertly. She was a fantastic maid but spent far too much time on unnoticeable details like tiny wrinkles in the bedsheets and small crumbs of sand in the corners. The trick was to let her fiddle for a while before stepping in. Renee could easily complain about Roxie's nitpicky nature, but she didn't want to have her worrying about a slight mess for the rest of the day. A simple compliment on the cleanliness of the room was enough. Maybe players like Lloyd hadn't understood it but Renee was fine letting Roxie clean a little, letting her scrub something for two minutes was better than just ordering her to forget it. That wouldn't do anyone any good.

"Know why they called two thirds of our team away?" Renee asked with a raised eyebrow as she stepped in and inspected everything Roxie had touched. Every time she stared at a bedspread or set of curtains she could feel Roxie's eyes staring at her, fearful that some flaw would be pointed out. Renee only gave positive feedback though, mostly because there were no flaws present. It was all cleaned perfectly and Renee was honestly surprised Roxie hadn't just given up on her baited breath yet.

"Chris called everyone captured by those Spanish guys yesterday," Roxie responded as she scrubbed the interior of the shower with a sponge.

"You're right…" Renee trailed while rubbing her chin, "Good eye."

"Anyone could have figured it out," Roxie responded, completely oblivious to the fact Renee hadn't even considered the answer a possibility.

"If you say so," Renee responded with a shake of her head.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"My fear is that a player like Lara will get under Roxie's skin," a thoughtful looking Renee admits. "Lara is so concerned with speed and customer service that she'll overlook the quality that Roxie provides. How many players bend down to clean the gunk off the bottom of the shower drain? The answer is one player, and I feel like Lara will only make this manic cleanliness Roxie sports worse by pointing out tiny flaws. Do you have any idea how long it took to get her bed making down to three minutes? No, no you don't."

* * *

An absolutely murderous Egyptian sun greeted the nine players that hadn't been called away from their teams. South Africa had nothing on the near equator level heat the dunes gave off. They weren't exactly in the desert but they were close enough to count. Stiff rocky terrain dotted with small dried up husks of plants just one valley over from lush green growth, farmland, and paradise level Mediterranean tourist bait. Chris had specifically driven them through this gorgeous part of the country to get to the stock and stereotypical desert that movies often portrayed the country as. All because he wanted to see the player's faces drop as they entered the arid wasteland, or rather patch of arid wasteland surrounded by the beauty of one of the most important shipping sectors in the world.

Their challenge had been set up in a makeshift pyramid on a strip of flat desert in view of a busy highway. The thing was clearly manufactured and put in place. By whom and for what original purpose was a mystery but they were there all the same. Can't have Egypt without mummies and tombs apparently, despite the fact it had literal Mediterranean beachfront ripe for the cameras.

"Welcome to your Egyptian challenge," Chris announced while holding his hands aloft for all to see. "Today you'll be searching for the greatest treasure of all… Friendship."

"Wha?" Elsa asked while cocking her head to the side in utter confusion and earning a deep sigh from Chris.

"We stuck all your teammates in sarcophagus and you have to release them." Chris lamented while dragging his hand down his face.

"But I'm not friends with Lara," Trevor muttered while picturing his teammate. "Don't make me be friends with Lara!"

"Remind me never to use wordplay again," Chris muttered to Chef before stepping forward and breaking up any conversations with his mere movement. "Listen up folks, anyone captured during the last challenge has to be rescued. You cannot split up and you cannot return someone to a sarcophagus once they've been released. The challenge is simple, you'll enter this makeshift pyramid, which has been built with exactly seventeen rooms on three levels. Each room contains an unmarked sarcophagus that contains a player. You can open the grave instantly but will risk releasing a player from an opposing team. The good news is that there's a puzzle or set of traps in each room you can solve and/or avoid to reveal exactly what team the player belongs to. Trigging a trap instantly releases the player held captive but puzzles have no effect. First team to collect all their teammates wins immunity and first class passage, last team out gets to send someone adrift tonight."

"Hah, we're already ahead," Elsa proclaimed with a laugh.

"As punishment for screwing up breakfast, The Orca will be the only team not to receive a helpful map," Chris proclaimed while two interns handed Helden and Trevor maps. "These helpful babies have every room listed and the ones containing Orca players marked in pink, meaning you won't blindly assist their team."

Lucile gave a sigh the second she heard this, watching as Zilka put on a defiant face. The only reason she'd messed with breakfast was likely due to Lloyd's prodding the day prior. Even she'd been enraged by his complete disregard for animals and their wellbeing. If anyone else had been there besides Lucile, Zilka would be under fire by heavy stares. Lucile however couldn't bring herself to supply one. She just had sympathy, sympathy and a plan to hopefully get through to the girl.

* * *

 **The Nasty Narwhal**

* * *

The purple team was the most consistently fit so they reached the entrance well before the other teams and burst into the thin torch lit hallway that wrapped around the bottom level of the pyramid. The number of rooms faltered the higher they went up so it was probably best to start at the top where space was limited and death traps would be less common. At least this was a musing Olga had that Helden and Elsa seemed to agree with.

"You did such a good job yesterday that you should do it again today," Elsa suggested while a smile spread over her lips.

"But I solved the problem yesterday," Diane protested before being drowned out by Olga pointing upwards and shouting with a thunderous waver in her voice. Diane's mouth curled into a snarl in response and her teeth began to grate together in sheer annoyance. She was the least physically capable of the group so when they took off running she quickly fell behind, panting on the stairs and getting a cramp pretty quickly.

She lost her teammates in the maze and had to search a number of rooms by herself to no avail. Every room had a sarcophagus on clear display and either a deathtrap or a puzzle present for all to see. One had long ropes they'd have to untie in a game of chance while another sported a classic floor tile puzzle that they'd have to step through wisely. There was even a room with nothing more than a single tripwire, that was all that constituted a trap. Thankfully the top level lacked many rooms and she found her team quite easily once up there. They'd all piled into a room identical to the rest but with a rather unique trap on the ground. A small rickety bridge loomed before them with multiple symbols carved onto the boards. Olga and Elsa were in the process of arguing over whether the first one was safe or not when Diane entered.

All it took was a single leftward glance for Diane to figure out what was going on. There were a number of messages scrawled onto the wall for them to use for decoding but the rest of the team had apparently missed these, instead opting to just rush forward without much care. They hadn't noticed her absence so why would they notice these messages?

At the very least it offered Diane a chance to remind everyone who she was. She just needed to decode the message properly and they'd be home free, allowed to peacefully traverse the gorge and all thanks to her. The chances of Elsa or anyone forgetting her accomplishments after two helpful days were completely nonexistent, meaning her course of action was clear.

"First one's unsafe," Diane announced to no reaction whatsoever. Everyone had just assumed she'd followed the group into the room. Olga took a deep breath and prepared herself while Diane stared at the symbols in front of her, which seemed to be akin to those dumb social media tests people made where objects were equal to specific values. "Second one's good though!"

Olga took a step onto the second board and true to Diane's word it didn't give way. Diane drew a deep breath inwards and began to quickly solve the problems facing her. A bird was worth two points, a sun was worth five, and any end value under ten points was unsafe to step on. At first it was easy and her calls simple to make, but once she got halfway down the puzzle more symbols were added including one that had to be negative. The trick was to work backwards, solve three or four puzzles to find the true value instead of jumping to conclusions. She solved them until Olga was able to step onto solid ground. She turned with a smile and noticed a large coloured plaque that could only be seen from the side of the sarcophagus. It was Narwhal purple, meaning whomever was in the sarcophagus was on their team.

The massive girl wasted no time in opening the stone coffin, blinding a very bored looking Natalie in the process. The girl cringed in pain from the brightness while Olga took her hand and led her carefully back over the crevice. Diane took this time to join her teammates with a smug expression on her face. She shut her eyes and let her teeth show while waiting for the praise to flow in. Attention she so desired and positivity she hungered for.

"Thanks for the save Olga," Natalie muttered once her eyes had adjusted, causing Diane to crack her eyes open and stare intently at the brunette. Praise began flowing from everyone's mouth after her but directed solely at Olga. She stood there dumbfounded while her teammates gathered around the map and promptly left her behind, not even noticing she wasn't following. The torches flickered from their departure and Diane's mouth fell agape in silent protest. It shut again and she gave a guttural growl of anger before kicking the nearest wall with a hard whack that sent pain coursing up her limb. A scream escaped her lip but not a soul was around to hear it.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Stupid! You! Arrgh!" Diane screams while bashing her fist against her forehead.

* * *

 **The Outrageous Orca**

* * *

"Man this challenge must be torture for Liam," Lucile muttered as she and Zilka made their way blindly through the pyramid. She couldn't help but feel worried for her former teammate, a dark confined space was likely setting his anxiety into overdrive.

Of course this was a personal thought that she normally would have kept to herself, but because she was with Zilka she was making an exception. Her hope was that she could strike a regular and normal conversation with the girl and figure out what was really behind her sudden activism. From what she could gather Zilka had been rather quiet while she was a member of The Putrid Plankton, but something, possibly Lloyd, had set her on a path of bold righteousness. Lucile knew from firsthand experience that if you tried to stuff a belief down someone's throat they typically drifted the opposite direction. Politics, religion, and ethics had all been pushed onto people she knew and they typically flew the opposite direction the second they were face to face with it.

Her eldest sister had been one of the more liberal girls in the family and attended a liberal arts school for a single semester. It was so much that when she returned home she had been bereted so much that she'd regressed backwards through thirty years of woman's rights and married jerky Kenneth Rogers and popped out four kids. Sure it was extreme, but it taught Lucile a thing or two about spreading ideologies and opinions. If you were polite and kind people tended to listen to you, when you screamed and pointed fingers you ended up turning people against you. Even the most reasonable arguments sounded crazy when shouted.

Unfortunately, Zilka wasn't quite getting the fact she was being pushy. Lucile was really on the brink of shouting whenever some kind of absolute nonsense escaped her mouth. There was a reasonable explanation as to why humans ate animals. They were omnivores, other forms of protein were scarce prior to modern centuries, and meat was just generally part of many cultural dishes and foodstuffs people grew up on. Chefs revered cooking as an art form, dairy production was all over the place, and most importantly not everyone could afford a meatless diet.

It really bothered Lucile that there was a lot of ignorance bred into some honestly good points. A healthy animal typically produced more milk, healthier eggs, and high quality meat. She only had to compare the chickens her dad cooked on Fridays to the ones in the supermarket. The size difference was astounding. Zilka was all for this humane treatment of animals, something Lucile was on board with but Zilka seemed to believe the issue lacked complexity.

She just needed to reassure herself that Zilka was only acting this way as a response to Lloyd. The boy had clearly lacked any respect for wildlife and it had definitely set something in Zilka off. If Lucile could get her back to a positive point she could potentially save the girl from making a fool of herself. At the very least she wanted Zilka's beliefs to be made by choice rather than through ignorance. If she came out of it still believing meat was murder Lucile would be fine with that, she just needed to make sure her future arguments were grounded by fact rather than overblown ideology that would continue to erode the team structure.

"Liam was muttering about bacon this morning," Zilka grumbled in response as the two of them continued along. Lucile instantly felt a sigh wrack her body. Had anyone else been around they likely would have just flipped on Zilka and muttered behind her back. The girl didn't realize just how lucky she was to be paired with Lucile in this instance.

"Okay, your intentions are noble, but maybe you could tone down the hate just a little," Lucile suggested while they passed a few gaping doorways.

"And conform to this reality we live in? How many animals will be killed while I politely keep my voice down waiting to be called on by people who don't care?" Zilka demanded while holding her hands aloft. "You wouldn't understand because you don't think of every life as equal."

Lucile held her groan inside her in response, unsure how to handle the girl beside her. There were clear issues the team had to solve itself and Lucile knew Zilka was far from one of them. They had Raina to deal with and hopefully Louise, the last thing she needed was a streak of eliminations going the multilingual boy's way and spiralling the team into his control.

"I think you have me pegged all wrong," Lucile commented in response as the duo walked into a random room with a sarcophagus on the other end and an intense math problem on the wall to answer what team the coffin resident belonged to.

"Oh I'm sorry, are you one of the less bad carnivores out there?" Zilka laughed while making air quotes at the word less. "A man drowned in seven feet of water is just as dead as one drowned in twenty. Just because you don't keep your cows locked up in a dark room doesn't mean you aren't raising them for the slaughter."

"Actually my dad has dairy cows, not beef cows," Lucile responded causing Zilka to roll her eyes and approach the coffin.

"Oh quiet, Deek made me realize I don't just have to sit on the sidelines waiting for my turn to speak," Zilka ranted as she placed a hand on the coffin.

"STOP!" Lucile exclaimed while holding her hand out trying to stop Zilka. It was too late though, as the door was opened and Jason from The Troublesome Turtles fell out of it with a thud.

He was blinded for a few seconds but when his eyes adjusted a coy grin wormed its way onto his face. He quickly sprang to his feet and laughed while running out of the room with a shout of, "Suckers!" Lucile was rather flabbergasted at Zilka's facial reaction. The girl wasn't even upset, in fact she seemed prepared to make the same mistake again.

"Why did you do that?!" Lucile demanded while waving her arms about.

"I want to find one of our teammates as fast as possible, the sooner I don't have to talk to you the better!" Zilka exclaimed while jabbing a finger into Lucile's chest. "Not only do you kill animals but you've made a business out of raising them for the slaughter. You're twice as bad as anyone else here!"

With that Zilka walked away with her lips pursed and her nose pointed skyward in a pout. Lucile could only sigh and follow her teammate out of the room, somehow feeling like she'd only made things worse.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"First of all I live on a farm that primarily deals with dairy," Lucile announces. "Secondly without people like my father and the local butcher around we'd have a lot more inhumanely raised meat being sold in my home town, and thirdly… No! You know what I'm not playing that card, she'll just think I'm mocking her. I just need to get through to her and maybe we'll actually have the numbers needed to avoid elimination…"

"Raised all your life in an enclosed space," Zilka sighs. "Never allowed to venture towards the sunset, having your children taken from you, and depending on the gluttonous whims of the man who "owns" you just because you're considered food. That's torture if you ask me, and I think Lucile has no empathy whatsoever, unable to even fathom the dreadful lives farm animals are forced to live under the thumbs of people like her!"

* * *

 **The Troublesome Turtles**

* * *

"Okay Trevor, just place your foot right next to my hand," Renee ordered from the tangle that was the three members of The Troublesome Turtles. They needed to press a bunch of tiles in order to figure out who the player inside the sarcophagus was, the twist was that all of them had to be pressed at the same time. Renee had her head pressed against a tile alongside all four of her limbs and Roxie was in the same situation. They'd decided to leave Trevor out, assuming that they'd only need two players. Unfortunately it turned out they needed the Korean boy to finish off the puzzle.

Once the awkwardness of the prospect was passed, Trevor had joined the twist with both legs and a hand pressed against the tiles. Another popped up on the small digital screen next to them and Renee gave a huff of annoyance, hoping beyond all hope that this was the last tile.

"Right between us," Renee groaned as she moved her body a little to the right, Roxie followed suit but to the left, revealing a tile framed right between their torsos. Trevor gave an exhale and tried his best to wrap himself around Renee without disturbing any of her limbs. The physical contact put an immediate strain on Renee. Suddenly Trevor was pressing his weight against her back, trying his best to stretch his limb far enough to press that tile. Renee's face turned red from the strain, trying to keep her knee from going any further down and pressing an incorrect tile. Everyone was under pressure in the human pretzel, which made it all the more distracting when Jason entered the room.

"Guess who freed himself?!" Jason gloated the second he saw his teammates.

"Not the time Jason," Renee responded through grit teeth while Trevor pushed her down a little lower, his fingers inches from the tile.

"It was a task only one like me could have undertaken," he responded in a prideful manner. "You're lucky to have me here or you would've failed this room."

Renee could only blink in response, rather surprised by a sudden moment of brilliance erupting from the egomaniac. Most of the time he was just building himself up for no reason, but in that moment he was right, he could waltz right over and press that tile, saving them all a lot of work and breaking them from their awkward twist of limbs.

"As much as I hate to say it, you're right Jason, go ahead, finish this," Renee smiled with a curt nod.

Any joy and relief she was feeling was very quickly eroded by Jason's immediate actions. He turned away from the puzzle and began making his way towards the Sarcophagus with a confident grin on his face. All three of his teammates stared at him with genuine confusion before bursting into shouts of protest that Jason seemed to interpret as praise.

"And Jason wins again," Jason proclaimed as he shoved the door of the casket open and let the player inside fall out. That player was Stephen, a member of The Nasty Narwhal, and he spared no time in running off. This probably would have struck a blow to the ego of anyone else, but to Jason it was all cool. In fact, he seemed to be all for it. His teammates fell into a heap and Renee dragged herself out of it before storming up to Jason and pointing a finger directly at his throat.

"You absolute moron!" Renee started, prepared to shout more insults but Jason simply took her hand and pulled her close as if she'd initiated some kind of flirtation.

"Can't have things being too easy for us. We need the challenge, don't we?" Jason grinned before Renee slapped him and looked him dead in the eye with her best death glare.

"First of all, you're an idiot, second of all I like girls-" Renee started but Jason didn't seem capable of listening for that long.

"You don't know what you like babe!" Jason grinned while swinging her around as if they were in the process of a dance. "Lesbian until you met my perfect bod."

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"It's like he thinks I only like girls because I haven't been courted by a guy," Renee mutters while staring at the camera with annoyed looking eyes. "What an egomaniacal-"

"-Perfect specimen of a man," Jason continues from some unheard ramble. "Renee's no Kiara, but they're both redheads so…"

* * *

 **The Outrageous Orca**

* * *

Lucile had narrowly prevented Zilka from opening the sarcophagus that loomed over the second room they'd entered. It wasn't a surprise to her that the girl could be reasoned with. Their challenge was a classic tile puzzle, requiring them to build an obvious image of Chris that once solved would reveal the correct colour in the spare spot. Pink, Purple, and Orange lined the bottoms of each tile but there was no clear answer to which spot exactly was meant to be empty until they solved the thing. Lucile was at work pretty quickly, sliding tiles left, right, up and down with pursed lips and thoughtfulness in her eyes. Zilka watched from quite a distance at first, clearly upset that she was even in the same vicinity as a meat eater. Lucile just frowned at her and let out a deep exhale before making eye contact with the girl.

"You know, I'd be happy to answer any questions you have," Lucile piped up causing Zilka to look over and glare at her.

"Why do you kill animals then?" Zilka demanded while Lucile slid another tile with loose fingers.

"We don't kill animals ourselves, we raise them and use them for milk and eggs. They're only sent off to a butcher after they've gotten too old to produce," Lucile explained while figuring out that the top right corner was to be blocked.

"And that doesn't seem wrong to you? Working all your life only to be killed the second you outlive your usefulness," Zilka muttered while approaching the tile puzzle herself and actually moving a tile. Lucile instantly felt a sense of satisfaction. She'd actually gotten Zilka to help her with the puzzle, sure it meant engaging her in animal rights rhetoric but you had to lose something to gain something.

"They get to live pretty happy lives, open spaces, green pastures, no cramping in stalls," Lucile explained with a shrug. "It may seem redundant to do all this stuff but it leads to better meat in the end."

"So you care more about the product than the actual animal's happiness," Zilka muttered while sliding another tile with her fingers and forming part of Chris' hair.

"You act like those two things can't coexist. It's humane and leads to a better end product, I don't see why we can't have both," Lucile sighed with a shake of her head. "I get where you're coming from, believe me, but you won't convince anyone to even give you the time of day if you just insult them all the time. If you keep this up people like Raina are going to make it further than they should."

"If you respect other opinions so much then you should respect the fact that I'm not just going to accept atrocities because other people don't believe they're atrocities. That's like trying to reason with a terrorist just because they believe their terrorism is justified," Zilka responded with a rather harsh tone.

"You're kind of blowing this out of proportion. This isn't just an ideology, it's a cultural practice that's been rooted in our diets for millennia," Lucile responded while forming the awful smile of their host with another slide. "Livelihoods depend on it."

"And yet you'd probably react with horror if someone killed a dog for food," Zilka muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"Why would someone want to eat a dog?" Lucile asked with a blink. "Have you seen those things, there's so little meat on them. Cows yield way more food."

"There it is, you'd eat a cow but not a dog," Zilka stated with a cross of her arms. "Hypocrisy if I say so myself."

"You do realize there's a difference between animals bred for food and animals bred for work right?" Lucile asked with a raised eyebrow and glance from Zilka. "I mean, even cows have separate breeds. You don't raise a dairy cow for meat, you raise them for milk. Dogs are meant to herd sheep, protect property, and corral cattle. They're pets, not livestock. If you're going to argue against meat you'd better come up with better arguments than that."

"Why do you care so much anyway?" Zilka asked with a narrowing of her eyes while they drew incredibly close to solving the puzzle.

"I see you standing for a cause but you lack so many facts and rely on evidence gained from a single glance," Lucile sighed as she shifted a few more tiles around. "You want to protect animals and yet you don't seem to know anything about them. I see you on the top deck feeding seagulls fries and hot dog buns without realizing just how unhealthy that is. They shouldn't be eating it first off, and secondly it creates bad habits and they become pests."

"But they're hungry," Zilka protested.

"No Zilka, they're greedy. They don't need to fly long distances to gather food anymore, they don't compete, and they change their diet substantially. Instead of living separate from people they now rely on them and do incredible damage to property and beachfronts," Lucile explained as they neared the final push. "In my opinion, eating meat is a choice, you can either consume it or not. I've been made aware of all the things animals go through, I've been educated and made my choice based on what I discovered and learned. I know an animal is just living its life with the end result being slaughter. You aren't bringing any new arguments to the table. These people aren't ignoramuses who don't realize animals die in order to feed them. They realize it and understand it, making the choice to eat it anyway."

The final piece slid into place as this exited Lucile's mouth, revealing the player in the coffin to be from The Troublesome Turtles. Both girls gave a disappointed exhale and quickly rearranged the tile puzzle before walking out of the room in near silence. Lucile had no idea what Zilka was thinking, only that she could sense awkwardness radiating from the girl. She was clearly deep in thought, something Lucile was happy about. The more Zilka thought about her stance on the subject the stronger her arguments would be. She potentially had one more room to talk the girl out of throwing all the eggs away again.

"You know that chickens lay eggs even if they haven't mated," Lucile piped up while the two walked down the hallway, Zilka glanced at her with a look of surprise while Lucile put on a smile, recalling her father explaining the exact same thing to her. "We have two coops on the farm, one with mated chickens and one with unmated chickens. The ones that aren't mated lay eggs for eating while the rest lay eggs for hatching. It's pretty cool really, we feed them a good mix of protein and nutrients and the eggs are a lot better when lain. They don't ever hatch of course, but they're huge."

"Do you move them to the other coop eventually?" Zilka asked causing Lucile to give a slight chuckle.

"Nah, different kinds of chickens, the hatching coop is the one we sell from. It's cool really, being surrounded by animals all day, I don't really think of how unique it is until I go to school. Everyone has a dog or cat while I have horses and dairy cows," Lucile explained while looking forward with a smile. "All those kids don't understand the boredom, horror, and beauty of seeing newborn calves."

"You see baby cows," Zilka asked with an amazed gasp that made Lucile smile broadly.

"All the time," Lucile grinned.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"And I've lost so much sleep to them too…" Lucile trails while rubbing her eye.

* * *

 **The Nasty Narwhal**

* * *

Diane could have easily solved the puzzle she and her team had come across, but she didn't have any desire to do so. Instead she just watched Olga try to solve a large puzzle on the wall involving a bunch of small multicoloured stones. It was basically Sudoku with coloured balls, a game she'd gotten good at based solely on her family's lack of electronics. She thought no one was looking at her and the face of annoyance she'd put on, but that couldn't have been more incorrect. Natalie was watching her with a gleeful grin on her face and eyes narrowed so far they couldn't have been interpreted as anything but conniving.

The brunette spared no time in worming her way over to Diane, coming to a halt next to her with a neutral expression on her face. Diane didn't grow a look of suspicion so Natalie knew she'd already won. Her face didn't contort though, that would have given away her intentions. Instead she just put on a smile and began rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Olga's pretty good at this huh?" Natalie asked while gazing up at Olga's progress.

"I've already solved it," Diane muttered while hardening her gaze.

"If you've solved it why don't you just tell everyone?" Natalie asked curiously.

"They'll just give all the credit to Olga again," Diane growled while glancing at the floor. "Once again I'm overlooked just because I'm not cool, smart, or strong."

"Do you think people will continue to admire her?" Natalie asked without any concept of waiting for a response. "Because if you ask me, she's a shoe in for the final part of the game, and once she's there stopping her will be impossible."

"And I'll be kicked off because I'm not strong," Diane sighed while rubbing her leg with her foot. "I should have known I wouldn't last long after the merge. I'm no standout, everyone just forgets I even do things."

"Then why not get rid of Olga?" Natalie questioned as they watched Olga near her completion of the puzzle. "Sure she's the strongest one in the game, but we don't exactly need her with the numbers we have, in fact, with her gone maybe the team will have to put some effort into building our brainy side. I mean, you did solve that puzzle pretty fast so maybe if we weren't all gawking at Olga's strength people would notice you."

"It's a Troublesome Turtle!" Olga exclaimed while leaping off the wall. "Come on, let's go!"

The majority of the team rushed after Olga while Natalie and Diane hung back and watched them leave.

"She didn't even get criticized for wasting our time," Natalie sighed with a shake of her head. "Eventually she'll slip up and one of us will go home despite her mistakes."

"Not if I can help it," Diane growled with a clench of her fist. She began marching after the team with Natalie close behind her, but what she didn't see was the exceptionally broad grin that had broken out on Natalie's face.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I have Stephen, Erin, and Diane. Elsa's close but I can't fully rely on her yet. One more player should do it, and I might just have to put on the old charm to get them…" Elsa trails while giving a mischievous grin to the camera.

* * *

 **The Outrageous Orca**

* * *

"I always wanted a pet," Zilka sighed as she removed a fifth block from the puzzle before them. If they screwed up and sent the blocks tumbling to the ground the sarcophagus would open, releasing a player regardless of team. Neither girl seemed up for the risk so the two of them were instead removing block after block from the puzzle, hoping to stack it high enough to reach a red line painted on the wall.

"Why weren't you allowed one?" Lucile asked as she placed her fingers on the block she had selected to remove. "Almost everyone I knew had a cat or something."

"My parents have bad allergies and thought frogs and lizards were creepy. They constantly talked about all the waste, the expense, and all sorts of other things," Zilka sighed as Lucile removed the block and placed it atop the tower. "They seem to think I'll grow out of this vegan diet and only buy me the proper food because I won't eat anything else."

"Lucky, my parents insist I eat whatever's put in front of me, no matter what," Lucile lamented as she watched Zilka edge a block out of the side of the tower. "As for the diet thing, don't let them get to you."

"I may not like you but I have to say you're way more understanding than Lloyd," Zilka admitted as she edged the block safely out of the tower.

"Lloyd was only interested in getting a rise out of you," Lucile muttered with a frown growing on her face. "He didn't respect anyone or anything, believing himself to be right all the time and never thinking of the consequences to his actions."

"I guess I was acting kinda similar huh," Zilka lamented with a glance downwards.

"Sort of," Lucile shrugged while thinking back to that morning. "Everyone's pretty mad about breakfast."

"Deek helped me," Zilka responded.

"But is Deek really a good person to listen to? I mean he doesn't bathe," Lucile laughed while shaking her head.

"He says it's to save the environment," Zilka shrugged in response. "I think he's pretty smart."

"I think he's a bad influence. Whatever he's saying is causing you to ignore basic social cues," Lucile replied.

"How so?' Zilka asked with a purse of her lips.

"Well he seems to have convinced you that everyone here only eats meat out of malice when in reality we all have pretty rational reasoning's for it. He strikes me as a person with very black and white morality," Lucile admitted while glancing at the sarcophagus across the room and imagining it to contain her unwashed teammate. "I'd much rather hear your calm and rational opinions over reactions to Lloyd or regurgitations of Deek's ideologies. There's a lot more to me than a farmer's daughter and there's a lot more to you than just your diet."

"I guess you're right," Zilka shrugged. "I've kind of only had one thing on my mind the last few days."

"Isn't that stifling?" Lucile asked with a tone of pure passion. "You just got out from under Lara's thumb and everyone on your new team now only knows you for one thing. Is animal rights activist really what you want to brand yourself as?"

"Of course not," Zilka replied with a shake of her head. "I could talk about my theatre classes or my desire for a sibling…"

"There you are," Lucile smiled while they drew closer to the line. "Don't just become one note, let other things shine through. Sure you might not like someone for their diet but that's just one part of their personality, one part of them."

"Why are you so intent on getting to know me?" Zilka asked as she strained to place another block on the tower, drawing them ever closer to the red line.

"I see a lot of myself in you I guess," Lucile shrugged. "There are these little glimpses now and again but I'm afraid you're ruining your chances at making some friends with just one part of you becoming so overbearing. Like, what do you want to do when you get up to first class?"

"Um…" Zilka trailed in response as Lucile pulled out the final block.

"Come on, pool? Television? Massages?" Lucile asked with a point of the block.

"I kind of just followed Yvonne around, we kind of just shaved our heads and messed with Lara," Zilka shrugged.

"Well then, when we get to first class we'll find something you like," Lucile grinned as she placed the final block on the tower and stepped down. The entire thing suddenly slid downwards and a tile on the wall slid open displaying a pink block to the light. Both girls gained grins of excitement and gave a high five.

"Well, looks like you don't have to put up with me anymore," Lucile announced causing Zilka to blush a look downwards.

"Sorry about that," Zilka proclaimed as she approached the sarcophagus. "I guess I was being pretty nasty to you."

Lucile could only give a slight laugh in response as she crossed her arms and smiled at Zilka, preparing herself for the release of a teammate.

Unfortunately the last person she wanted released was the occupant of the coffin. Deek slid out and the smell of body odour instantly swept through the area. Lucile covered her nose in disgust while the absolutely filthy boy got to his feet. As far as Lucile was aware, naturalist humans had still bathed if there was available water. If she had to describe the guy it was extreme. His Hippie Dippy flare spoke against nearly every fibre in her being. He seemed to believe that if he did not bite a lion it would not bite him. He ran on that sort of logic and fine, let him do that. The only issue was he was clearly feeding into Zilka's flaws in unhealthy ways.

The bottom line was that Lucile didn't get angry at meat consumption, worked on a farm, and believed ranching was a form of income. She didn't want to be like Lloyd and purposefully disrespect nature but she wasn't about to go home and liberate all her father's cows and chickens.

"What are you doing here?" Deek asked in a pretty aggressive tone for a guy who claimed to never resort to violence.

"Oh hi Deek," Lucile replied in the friendliest tone she could muster. "The challenge today is-"

"Stop talking," Deek interrupted before turning to Zilka. "What's the challenge today?"

"Lucile was about to tell you that," Zilka responded while pointing at Lucile.

"I don't trust anyone who enslaves animals," Deek responded with an over the shoulder glance at Lucile.

"But-" Zilka started before being shushed.

"Remember what I told you last night, about not losing momentum? People like her will try to convince you to leave them alone, to save the world by just changing your own habits. That's how they get away with murder, they convince you it's rude to call them out on it," Deek explained before turning towards Lucile with a frown. "What have you been saying to her?"

"That she can be more than just a vegan," Lucile replied while crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at Deek. "I take it you've been filling her head with all this aggression she was showing me."

"You call fighting for the rights of the rightless aggressive when you raise defenseless animals for the slaughter," Deek muttered with a shake of his head and the click of his lips.

"THEY'RE ANIMALS, NOT PEOPLE!" Lucile shouted in complete exasperation but instantly regretted it based on the look Zilka was giving her. She gave a sigh as Deek quickly trotted out with Zilka following him. Lucile balled her fist in anger and began bashing it into her forehead at the sheer ridiculousness she was being faced with. She drew in a deep breath and let it out, trying her best not to let her brain settle into insults. Zilka had rationale behind her opinions and so did Deek, she was not to belittle them. What would her father think if she did?

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"My Dad believes that in order to argue a point you must research the other side first," Lucile explains while she sits on the chair provided in the confessional. "I once made fun of vegetarians so he forced me to eat a vegan diet for a month. The food was gross and I hated every second of it but it did get across what he wanted me to understand. To some people there are things more important than a good hearty meal. He did the same with politics, claiming that every decision I make should be grounded in research and reason. Zilka values the lives of animals but I feel like Deek might be steering her in the wrong direction, getting her to blindly subscribe to an ideology and not question the rationale from the other side. I'm hoping Zilka comes to realize that I'm a person deserving of respect, regardless of what I believe in."

* * *

 **The Troublesome Turtles**

* * *

Trevor was tiptoeing his way across an incredibly sensitive floor that if disturbed too much would release whomever was in the sarcophagus and possibly hurt him in the meantime. The team had decided that he was the best for the task based solely around the fact he wasn't being hit on by Jason. Renee and Roxie were enduring one of the most egotistical tirades they'd ever heard in their lives and not once had Jason actually complimented them, instead his tactic seemed to be selling himself as some sort of god that they couldn't resist.

"My abs can basically be used as a musical instrument," Jason bragged with his shirt off. He'd tossed it onto Renee's face earlier and had claimed his natural musk was so strong it could deter bears and make cheerleaders faint.

"I wanna play something like a musical instrument," Renee growled while balling her fist up incredibly tight. Roxie snickered in response but Jason didn't seem to even notice the threat, instead growing preoccupied with his own ability to hold his breath, not that he'd demonstrate it.

"Like fifteen minutes, my body can last that long underwater, came in handy when I saved this hot chick's life off the coast of BC. Let me tell you, she was a complete bombshell with blonde hair halfway down her back and this amazing bikini. Of course I looked better, when I wear red, whoof let me tell you. The ladies on this ship practically fainted every week upon seeing my ironclad chest through my work clothes," Jason bragged while Trevor made his way closer to the end of the puzzle. Jason unfortunately caught Renee looking and put on a beaming smile in response.

"Oh yeah, I bet I could clear this puzzle in literal seconds. No wait, milliseconds… What was smaller than that? Oh well filled my brain with too many facts about math. I'll prove I can make it though," Jason exclaimed causing Renee to clench her fists in absolute rage and give a shout of pure annoyance. Jason was prepared to step onto the puzzle and potentially release a Narwhal but she wasn't going to have any of that. She grabbed the boy as quickly as she could and threw him at the ground with more power than she thought she could muster.

"YOU EGOTISTICAL MORON!" Renee screamed before leaping on Jason in a rage. He of course didn't take this as assault, no matter how much she bashed his face into the stone he seemed to believe she was flirting with him and was reacting accordingly. He puckered his lips, winked at her, and drew her as close as possible. How his stupid little brain had twisted the attack into flirtation was beyond her, but his sureness only increased when Roxie joined the mix. They both tried to hurt him while he kept grabbing them and pulling them close like they were cuddling. The unfortunate thing was that Jason, despite his inflated ego, was actually quite strong. Both girls were quickly pulled close to him in such a way that they couldn't move. He had his arms wrapped around their torsos, pinning their arms and resting their heads sat near his pecs.

The good news was they'd managed to distract him and let Trevor finish the puzzle. Trevor gave them a thumbs up and Renee nearly vomited at the realization of what she'd have to do. Even if she was into guys, someone like Jason would be the last person she'd flirt with, but duty called and Roxie wasn't forward thinking enough to have this scenario already thought out.

"Since you're sooooo strong, you'd probably be able to open that heavy sarcophagus," Renee stated in her flirtiest tone. She was greeted by a confused blink and let out a sigh of annoyance in response. "Are you strong enough to open that coffin?"

"Hah, you doubt my strength, I'll prove it!" Jason announced while Trevor crept his way back over to their side of the room. Renee and Roxie stood up, rather disgusted by the sheer potency of Jason's cologne while the coffin was pulled open. The good news for Renee was that the person in the coffin was definitely more attractive to Jason. Kiara was inside and in an instant she was on the receiving end of unabashed white knight syndrome. Jason acted like he had fought dragons and serpents with a hand tied behind his back while the three former Sinister Sharks watched this occur.

"I hate to say it… But I hope we find Lara soon," Trevor announced as they watched Jason's bragging. All three Troublesome Turtles smiled at the same thought the second that little bit had been said. Despite her flaws Lara would not put up with Jason's bullshit.

* * *

 **The Outrageous Orca**

* * *

"-You see the calf then has its brain development marred making it lack the awareness that it should have," Deek explained like some kind of wise guru. He didn't elaborate on where the information came from. Lucile could only figure it was fabricated altogether. She'd tried her father's tactic but had come out of it with more questions than answers. How did someone get to a point where they believed that much misinformation? It just didn't click with Lucile and that was bothering her. She could understand where Zilka was coming from, but Deek?

"Does it increase our intelligence then?" Zilka asked curiously.

"Mammals are weaned off milk, that's why there's no proven difference between those that drink milk and those who can't," Deek replied as they entered a new room.

"Actually the ability to digest milk past-" Lucile started before Deek completely cut her off like she hadn't spoken at all. She frowned in response and glared at her putrid teammate from behind while he continued to explain the evils of the dairy industry and how there was some grandiose conspiracy involving milk. Apparently humans just drank it to mess with cows, no other reasons. She couldn't wrap her head around that logic and the more she thought about it the more outlandish it seemed.

To make matters worse this conversation was so interesting to both Zilka and Deek that they refused to help with the puzzle in the room. This one involved pressing a bunch of tiles in order. Once she tapped one they began moving. Three separate movements she had to imitate, then four, five, and so forth. It was monotonous and so easy for Lucile to handle that she had no choice but to listen to Deek. He was continuing to discuss this grand theory of how cows didn't produce enough milk, dairy cows, beasts that had been bred specifically to produce milk.

The animals were so heavily domesticated that they physically had to be milked daily, there were machines that did the milking now with a supervising farmhand, so there was very little strain put on the actual animals. Typically they got distracted by the day's food and medical checkups while working. They were then sent out to go graze the fields, turning them over for next year's crops and fertilizing the soil with manure. It was actually pretty high tech, in fact they could even pasteurize the milk on the property and have it shipped in a timely manner. Running a farm required far more than an uneducated peasant in the modern age. Her father had to know all sorts of techno jargon and details that his father hadn't been able to fathom.

But whatever, Zilka could listen to Deek all she wanted, the good news was that her insults had seemingly died down, a fact Lucile was absolutely grateful about. It gave her hope that once insults started flying her way Zilka would stop Deek and say, "Hold on." She was biding her time, waiting for the statement to come with the deepest of hopes, and it finally did when she reached a pattern level of eight.

"I say shame on the people who run these operations," Deek proclaimed. "They pretend to care about these animals but continue to allow atrocities to occur. They're thieves and murderers if you ask me. Any farmer who participates in any level of the murder of an animal deserves to die as well…"

Lucile instantly felt her spine tingle in anger. Her entire body began to shake at that singular comment and she turned her head to face Deek and Zilka, a massive mistake as Deek seemed to take this as an opportunity to direct his passionate anger in her direction.

"Mother nature will strike down any person who dare hurt her," Deek announced.

"Shut up," Lucile growled, her statement elongated as her suspicions of Deek's next comment came to light.

"She works stronger than any rebellion ever could, striking those who have wronged her with disease," Deek continued causing Lucile to whirl around and point a finger at her teammate.

"You better not be implying what I think you're implying," Lucile hissed as her eyes narrowed and stared into Deek's ugly mug.

"That your father is a murderous ass who deserves the same fate as the countless animals he's knowingly sent to the slaughter?" Deek asked with a wrinkle of his nose. "Of course I am, your father is a brute who deserves nothing less."

"SHUT UP!" Lucile shouted in anger with a jab of her finger and a quick approach. She was shaky and teary eyed by this point, completely flabbergasted at what Deek was saying. Her father was the nicest man she'd ever met and yet here Deek was wishing him death and claiming he deserved to fall ill, that he deserved to writhe in pain and sickness, and that he deserved to perish and leave behind a loving family. Her entire body was shuddering with anger and her abandonment of the puzzle counted as a loss. The sarcophagus opened automatically and Erin was outside of it in seconds. The Nasty Narwhal quickly bolted from the room while Lucile stared Deek down with anger in her eyes and fire flaring from her nostrils.

"Such anger," Deek muttered while shaking his head in disappointment. "Violence is learned not bor-"

He didn't get to finish that thought as Lucile had quickly grabbed his crusty shirt and bashed him into a wall.

"YOU IGNORANT MORON! YOU ARE BY FAR THE DUMBEST HUMAN BEING I HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED IN MY LIFE! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU HAVE THE GALL TO INSULT MY FATHER LIKE THAT! APOLOGIZE! NOW!" Lucile shouted with spittle flying from her mouth in a complete bout of rage.

"Upon his death your animals shall be liberated," Deek snarled back. Lucile just lost it. Her fist made contact with his face and she didn't cease there. Hit after hit escaped her and she was in full pounding mode in seconds with Deek flailing about while she delivered consecutive blows to his face and body with no care about her own personal safety. She'd dislocated at least two fingers and broken the skin of one more by the time Zilka shoved her off. At her most vulnerable Zilka turned towards her with a frown and her face contorted angrily. It was a look that told Lucile that all her hard work had been undone, that Zilka had bought back into the idea that she and her family were somehow cruel monsters who only raised animals for the sick joy of killing them. Her family, her entire livelihood, and everything she knew was nothing more than cruelty to Zilka and that was written all over her face.

"I shouldn't have fallen for your traps," Zilka muttered with anger lacing her voice. "You just want me to sit around and let terrible people continue to harm innocent animals… Deek's right, you all deserve the wrath of nature."

That was the final straw that sent Lucile rushing out of the room in tears. She couldn't take it anymore and bolted, leaving her teammates alone in the room. Zilka helped Deek up and the boy gave a cough before wiping his bloody nose off.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"It may seem harsh, but those who don't value other lives don't deserve sympathy or redemption. They just want us to keep quiet and let others hurt," Deek explains while crossing his legs. "When I get this money I'll hire top lawyers and take down the institutions that benefit from the exploitation of animals. It'll only get me so far, but I'm confident people like Lucile and Lloyd will receive their comeuppance through the karma of Mother Nature. People like Zilka sit on the fence, afraid to get their hands dirty and insult the monsters that rule over us, but I've shown her the light and many more shall see it too. Sitting idly by is no longer an option we can afford to take."

* * *

 **The Nasty Narwhal**

* * *

The sarcophagus in the room very clearly contained Liam, everyone could tell simply based on the panicked and utterly scared banging coming from the interior demanding a release. Unfortunately it seemed that Chris had prepared for this obviousness by layering the room with insanely difficult traps. Everyone had taken to undoing a specific part of it with Diane calling the shots early on, unfortunately this had paved the way for Olga to take the credit again. The girl was making her way towards the sarcophagus while Diane glowered in the background, inducing some curiosity in Natalie as to why she'd even bothered to help with this puzzle.

So being nosy, she slunk over until she was beside Diane watching Olga near another victory. She turned towards her teammate and raised an eyebrow in faux concern and curiosity. "So you won't help with the last puzzle, but this one is fair game?"

"Liam's in there," Diane responded in a quiet tone.

"You like him or something?!" Natalie demanded, causing Diane to nearly release the rope she was holding.

"What?! Of course not… He just… gave me some good advice," Diane responded while gazing at the coffin. "He told me to either stick out or risk an elimination by pot shot."

"Oh that is good advice," Natalie nodded. "There may be more former Whimsical Whales left in the game right now, but our eliminations were definitely based on pot shots. Ryan and Gabriel just didn't stand out. Sure Ryan was strong but he had no friends or standout qualities so people just inflated the negatives about him. Same went for Gabriel. Heck even Lara made those moves early on. If there's a defacto leader you better be prepared to stick out or fall in line, I presume you don't want to fall in line."

"Not again," Diane responded while Olga reached the sarcophagus and got cheers from the released members of the team, particularly from Stephen and Erin. "I never want to live under someone's thumb like I did with Lara again."

"But Olga keeps stealing your thunder," Natalie sighed.

"She's just like my siblings. Every time I do something cool they just do something cooler and take the attention away. If I did a great painting, Veronica got a leading role in her play. If I scored a basket in basketball, Tristin just had to get a girlfriend. It's infuriating," Diane growled as she stared down Olga.

"And unless you get rid of her…" Natalie trailed.

"She'll get rid of me first," Diane muttered as Liam was released.

"Like you said, either stand out or fall off the boat," Natalie shrugged while Liam thanked Olga over and over again while ignoring everyone else. Diane gave a deep exhale and turned her head away in annoyance.

* * *

 **The Outrageous Orca**

* * *

Phoebe had been absolutely bored throughout the entire challenge. She was in a confined space that was large enough to let her move, but small enough to prevent comfort. Most of her time had been spent shifting back and forth in an attempt to find at least some level of comfort while she waited for Lucile and Zilka to arrive. Her hopes had been raised at one point when muffled voices had sounded outside the sarcophagus but they'd left telling her she'd been visited by one of the other teams.

Anger had passed, discomfort had come and gone, and she had taken to thinking about the state of the game now that the teams had merged. She didn't like or trust half her team and the others weren't the best either. Sure Wilma could make a good partner and Yvonne seemed decent enough, but they were a farcry from her original team. She'd somehow been shuffled away with Lloyd and Raina, making her effectively the only Sinister Shark on The Outrageous Orca, a team that seemed destined for failure. First class was a distant blip in the distance while Phoebe was stuck trying her best to map out the battle lines ahead of time. Louise was definitely trying to manipulate her onto his side, but the question was as to who he'd like to target. Her best bet was to follow him for an elimination or two and blast him out of existence the second Raina was sunk. He thought he could pocket her so long as she didn't get her way and instead got promises that alluded to her way.

Raina would leave before Louise but Phoebe was planning to cut him loose as soon as she could simply out of logical deduction. Of course, the major roadblock standing between her and her goal was the outrageous activism that Zilka was playing to. The sheer stupidity and lack of social awareness the girl displayed was utterly astounding. To choose not to eat meat was one thing, but to throw all the eggs out for your righteous cause and ruin the meals of dozens of people was another animal altogether and did little more than peg Zilka and her cause as nutty.

Everyone was so obsessed with it too, complaining about the brunette behind her back and already making plans for the next elimination. It was a tooth grinding distraction that unfortunately proved to Phoebe that she'd made a grave mistake in choosing Warren to leave instead of Raina. All that extra time had only allowed for more bickering and arguing to erupt. Why would Wilma or Yvonne join her in her crusade when there was more personal drama afoot for both of them?

This was where Phoebe's head was at when her coffin was finally opened. She was blinded by the light for a few moments but quickly found herself adjusting. Her left eye was open far before her right eye and she was pretty annoyed by what she was greeted by, not that her eyes needed to be present to signal who was there. Deek had such a pungent odor that he made her cover her nose from the rancid scent. She was rather surprised to find Lucile wasn't there, and for a mere second anger boiled in her under the false belief that they'd split up. This was thankfully remedied by a quick ask.

"Oh she abandoned us to finish the challenge without her," Zilka replied with a huff.

"And why exactly did she run off?" Phoebe asked while crossing her arms and thinking back to The Creepy Calamari. She didn't know the team well but something told her that running off was not something Lucile was prone to doing. Unfortunately, the people she was asking only had a string of completely redundant animal rights talk for a response. It had nothing to do with her question and only made her more annoyed than ever.

The non-answer was the only prompt she needed to exit the room. The event that morning had been one thing but the vague response and apparent reaction were all the evidence Phoebe needed to know they had already lost. She didn't care about abandoning the game, choosing to instead find Lucile and figure out exactly who was on the chopping block that night.

Lucile wasn't hard to find, she'd run off to the front steps of the pyramid and sat on the stone stairs clutching her hand and staring off into the desert. She had tear streaks running down her cheeks that had been cycling through running and drying up for the last few minutes. Phoebe instantly sat down beside her, quite certain there were knuckles involved and remained absolutely silent. Something about the reaction told her this had more to it than stupid vegan dialogue trying to guilt trip people into following their belief system.

"I wanna go home," Lucile finally muttered after what felt like a ten minute pause. Phoebe looked over at her, certain Lucile was at least three eliminations from even being considered cannon fodder. Four if she counted Louise.

"And why's that?" Phoebe asked in response.

"I jammed my nose in a place it doesn't belong, again. I just have to throw my opinion into an issue even if I have nothing to do with it. I thought that maybe Zilka could be reasoned with, and for a mere moment it seemed like there was actually a person behind all that scummy behaviour, but then Deek appears and she's back to the same state she was when Lloyd was around," Lucile muttered while tugging her knees close to her body. "Maybe she's right. Maybe I am cruel."

"You don't owe her anything, if she wants to be a complete bitch she can be a bitch," Phoebe replied with a shrug. "If you reached out to her that's good, but maybe it's time to just let her go, y'know, let the mob have her for ruining breakfast and gaining us a penalty. I've been on her team for a day and not once has she shut up about cruelty to animals. It's annoying if you ask me. I think her opinions are stupid and her ideology is stupid but I don't go around screaming about it. I'm just going to cast a vote at her and let her slip out of mind, like a normal person."

"But I don't want to step on her toes," Lucile sighed while gazing at the ground. "She loves animals and can't stand to see them hurt."

"Oh, that totally excuses the destruction of private property, the obnoxious lectures, and the endless fighting for the last few days. I hate that girl," Phoebe laughed while shaking her head. "But let me tell you, the fact she believes in the rights of animals has nothing to do with it. Lloyd was a piss poor teammate but we definitely made a mistake in kicking him off this boat before Zilka. She's gained some sort of grandiose idea that's she can now do whatever she wants because she managed to take down one bigot. I don't care about her stance and by the sounds of it you shouldn't care either. Just because there is an argument doesn't mean both sides are worth listening to. You aren't going to agree with everyone in life and pretending like we can all get along and agree is a ridiculous notion. Politics, faith, and even ethics have dilemmas that divide people, don't be so wishy washy and just pick a side. You're a farmer, meat is part of your lifestyle, accept this reality and don't let bullshit spewed from the mouths of nutcases force doubt on you."

"I still think Zilka can be reasoned with," Lucile muttered with a downwards gaze. "She was fine until Deek showed up…"

"If you ask me Deek's a lot less loud than Zilka," Phoebe replied.

"He said my dad deserved to die," Lucile muttered while gazing at the sunset. "I just lost it on him, I started beating on him because… Well…"

"Is he sick?" Phoebe asked while glancing at Lucile.

"Very," Lucile replied as she began fiddling with a rock. "Deek treated it like it was some kind of divine retribution and…" Lucile quickly let out a sigh and closed her eyes. "He always told me to treat others fairly, even if they disagree with me. So I try to make friends with people I disagree with, find things we have in common that aren't readily apparent… but it always bites me in the butt."

"You're forgiving," Phoebe sighed before standing up and looking down on Lucile. "If you really want to give Zilka another chance I'll let you take it… but this is the last chance I'll give her. If she throws out all our eggs or something equally stupid again I'll treat her worse than Raina, but if you can somehow turn things around…"

"I guess Raina will go instead," Lucile muttered while looking at the ground.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Lucile is way more forgiving than I am," Phoebe states as she rocks back and forth on the confessional Chair. "If I were in her shoes Deek wouldn't have a face anymore and Zilka would have been stuffed into a sarcophagus ten seconds into the challenge. Lucile has noble ideals but I don't think they're realistic, she'll be burned by Zilka and hopefully this will act as a learning experience. Sometimes you just can't reason with a person, no matter how noble their intentions are."

* * *

 **The Troublesome Turtles**

* * *

"Since you're such a god I bet you can clear this entire death trap without a single issue," Kiara stated in a tone that Jason completely bought into. All her teammates were rather impressed by the flirtatious tone she was putting on, it was so convincing that it sounded almost real. In fact it probably would have been thought of as real if she hadn't started laughing the second Jason bragged about his own muscles and leapt into the wrath the interns had set up. Spikes, fire, and logs tied to ropes swung at him releasing the player in the sarcophagus in no time at all.

Thankfully that player was Bebe and she was part of their team, not that anyone would have been bothered if a purple or pink player had been released instead. Seeing Jason get hurt was very therapeutic even though they knew he'd just get even flirtier with another girl around. Had they released Brad or Josh he would have likely shut up, but because Bebe was there Jason suddenly made it his mission to cross the gap of deathtraps quickly and arrive at the other side in excruciating pain.

"I'm so good I released you without even touching reaching the other side," Jason laughed before picking Bebe up in a bridal carry and walking through the entire setup again. To him it was more important to get the lady to safety than to waste time finding a safe route, chicks dug a guy that was down, lovingly tending to his wounds after he risked everything to save the bodacious babe. The more beat up he got the higher the likelihood of getting a scar was. Chicks thought scars were badass and attractive.

He finally reached the other side and collapsed on the ground, placing Bebe down on it very gently. Everyone clapped at him in an overly sarcastic kind of way, he took it as sincere and got up to his knees for the sole purpose of bowing like an actor. Every bit of contempt flew right over his head, which was probably for the best. If he realized someone was harming his ego he wouldn't spare them any pain.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Yeah, I lucked out with hot chicks for my team," Jason announces as he leans back in his chair. "Bebe's the clumsy girl who would have to rely on me to help her with everything. There's Roxie who is probably the best to marry based solely on her future role as a stay at home wife. Clean laundry, a tip top home, and an evening together after I get back from a successful game in the big leagues. Lara's a domineering type, one who'll butt heads with me and be the spiciest of the bunch, a constant struggle to domineer in the relationship and one up one another. Renee's the artist who has no doubt filled her sketchbook with secret drawings of me. A flower yet to bloom under my perfection. I will being that love to the forefront, I promise you that. But alas they all pale in comparison to the absolute prize that is Kiara. Such a steller body and loving personality. Should I have her affections aimed at me all shall be perfect, that is if I can get that loser Josh out of the way. Whatever he has, I have ten times that amount…"

* * *

 **The Nasty Narwhal**

* * *

When Nadie's coffin creaked open and released her to the light, Chris' voice instantly broke out over the loudspeaker. The purple team had just recovered all its members so they'd just won the challenge for the third time in a row. First class and plenty of relaxation was on the menu that evening for all but one of the players, a player Olga got to select. Her opportunity came when she and her team skidded to a halt outside the pyramid to find Chris waiting for them. He finished talking about how the last team to recover its players would be heading for elimination that evening before turning to the team.

"Nasty Narwhal, good effort out there, I'd just like to say that you've outdone yourselves, but alas one of you will be heading to losing class tonight by Olga's hand," Chris grinned while hoping something crazy broke out on the team.

"Since Nadie didn't solve a single puzzle today she gets to spend the evening in losing class," Olga announced.

"I didn't really get a chance, but whatever," Nadie responded with a roll of her eyes.

"You may return to the bus," Chris announced before picking up his radio and clearing his throat. That throat clear bounded around the interior of the temple, drowning out Phoebe and Lucile's quick feet as they sought out Zilka and Deek. Room after room had an already solved puzzle, but with only seven unopened coffins remaining it didn't take them long to find their teammates. Chris put them behind the Troublesome Turtles. Those guys had yet to find three players while their team had to find four. The downside, a reality Lucile had brought up to Phoebe during their run, was that The Turtles would find their rooms without an issue thanks to their map.

To say Phoebe was upset about this would be an understatement. Zilka's morning egg toss had likely just cost them the challenge. Lucile would have slapped her forehead if her fingers weren't dislocated, angry that she'd wasted so much time trying to reason with Zilka instead of just solving the puzzles. All that time thrown out the window for a girl who wouldn't give her the time of day, a girl she was giving a second chance to. Hopeful that she wouldn't be tossed aside and treated like a villain just because of her diet.

Unfortunately when the duo found Zilka and Deek the two were simply talking to the person inside a nearby sarcophagus. Deek was telling the occupant to give up on meat or whatever, basically holding them hostage inside the tomb until they committed to his ideology. The mere sight of this made Phoebe grind her teeth together in outrage. Believing in something was one thing but what Deek was performing was too far in her mind. Why couldn't he just join a protest like a normal person?

"Fine, I'll swear off cheese as well," The person in the casket stated. It was a male voice that didn't belong to Louise so both Lucile and Phoebe began shouting for Deek to stop, unfortunately it was too late and seconds later Brad was released from his prison and shoved Deek aside while running off laughing. "SUCKERS! I'LL NEVER GIVE UP ON MEAT!"

Brad shoved past Lucile and Phoebe, which turned all the venom that he's ignited in Zilka and Deek onto the two girls.

"Are you back to tell me how I should just sit around instead of actually saving the world?" Zilka demanded with a very snooty tone that hadn't been present the day prior.

"Shut the **** up," Phoebe responded before marching over to Zilka and jabbing a finger at her chest. "How many rooms did you go through holding people's freedom hostage?"

"Four, why do you ask?" Zilka demanded.

"Between here and where I was released, come on, let's hurry!" Phoebe shouted before darting out of the room with Lucile on her heels. "We're statistically more likely to release one of our teammates than a Turtle. There's no time for puzzles anymore. They could have released someone by now."

The first unsolved room was quick to slide into and Phoebe practically leapt over the trap that had been lain. She rushed to the coffin and pried it open without a second thought. Absolute despair coursed through her as Lara hit the ground with a thud. She exchanged a look with Lucile before jumping over the trap again and rushing to the next room with dust trailing behind her.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"People won't change their ways unless they're forced to listen," Deek explains. "You can lead a horse to water but it doesn't have to drink, why? Because it had free will. In order to break people of their vile disregard for nature we must open their eyes. When those eggs we stole hatch, this entire ship will see just how wrong they were to consume the unborn. People like Lucile pretend that these eggs are infertile so they can have a guilt free conscious but I can just tell from the auras that those eggs are all lives that are lost on a regular basis to human gluttony."

* * *

The very next room had an exceptionally distraught Raina, who had become convinced Zilka and Deek were the only ones free on their team. Phoebe just growled at the grovelling she was on the receiving end of, wanting to do nothing more than tell Raina to buzz off. Unfortunately they were in a time crunch so they booked it to the next room and slammed the coffin open finding Louise inside. By this point any other plans people had for elimination had been destroyed, replaced by a single-minded anger at Zilka and Deek for throwing the challenge for their ideology.

When Yvonne was released in the room over it was made abundantly clear that even if Lucile managed to get through to Zilka there was no way she'd survive more than one elimination. Lucile's fears of people taking this more as an ideological statement instead of a personal one came true and much of the banter while they ran was about how dumb vegans and veganism was, not how dumb Zilka and Deek were.

All that work and effort to catch up paid off when they slid to a halt outside a room The Troublesome Turtles had also pulled up to. Both teams made a scramble for the interior, trampling the trap and shoving one another out of the way to get to the sarcophagus. Brad tripped Louise, Jason tackled Yvonne, and Raina was cornered by Trevor. However, no one could stop Lucile and Phoebe who pushed past Lara and Renee and grabbed the coffin together. It was flung wide open and Josh hit the dirt before anyone could react. An air horn instantly sounded and was greeted by loud groaning and moaning from the pink team. Lucile fell onto her rump and gave a loud sigh while the orange team celebrated and cheered.

"Ah cheer up," Pheobe chuckled while taking a seat next to Lucile. "It was a near win... we can pull it off again."

"Let's hope," Lucile sighed with a shake of her head.

Jump Cut

"We failed today because someone spent all her time trying to dissuade Zilka from her ideals," Deek announced as his team stared at him with varying levels of hatred in their eyes.

"Zip it hipstick," Louise growled with an angered point at his teammate. "You two could have released us, we could have won that challenge, but noooooo…"

"A challenge? Is that all you care about?" Deek demanded. "What about the animals."

"Oh so that gives you permission to be an asshole then?" Phoebe asked while swinging her foot back and forth in the blue lit water of the pool.

"Am I an asshole for trying to save the animals?" Deek questioned in response.

"YES!" Was the collective response from everyone else clustered around the body of water. The sheer hatred was enough to make Chris give a chuckle and shake his head, happy with a lot of the footage they'd caught that day.

"Well Orca, you know what happened last time a team lost twice in a row this early," he grinned while gazing across the team. "I'd say a lot of you are distracted, not very focused on the game, too involved in your beliefs, hating one another when you should be a team. I love it. Maybe you'll go lower than The Plankton if you keep this up."

"The only question now is which moron do we cut?" Louise responded with a cross of his arms.

"Well I know my pick," Zilka growled while glaring right at Lucile.

Lucile blinked and gazed at the ground before looking over at Phoebe. Her teammate was staring at her, waiting for any sort of signal to eliminate Zilka instead of Deek. Any dip in her confidence and Zilka would go home. But Lucile just gave an exhale and hardened her gaze. Phoebe gave a slow nod in response before turning back to Chris with her vote already made.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I vote for Lucile," Zilka announces while holding Lucile's passport. "Deek's right, she spent all day trying to convince me to just let murders slide. That will not happen again."

"Both of you messed up but only one of you smells like the interior of a dumpster," Louise growls while bashing his own stamper onto a passport.

"I wouldn't be giving Zilka another chance but I'm willing to let Lucile have her way," Phoebe explains while stamping someone's passport. "But this is it, I don't want to have a single other distraction keeping me away from Raina's demise. That girl dug her grave and I want her to lie in it!"

"How would we feel if human flesh was served in grocery stores? How would we feel if our babies were taken from our arms before they were even born? And how would we feel to just know every day alive is only there to let us fatten up for the harvest?" Deek demands while hitting his fist on the makeup table. "This world is advancing past meat, those that hold onto it are destined to disappear."

* * *

"The following players are safe," Chris announced with a raise of his hand. "Louise."

"Can we just skip to the part where Zilka and Deek are left?" Louise demanded while unwrapping the mint and tossing it into his mouth.

"Phoebe, Raina, and Wilma," Chris continued while ignoring Louise's comment. "Yvonne and Zilka…"

Deek and Zilka grew cocky smirks at this point and both glanced at Lucile with pure confidence in their eyes. This turned out to be just their idea of what was going on though, as Lucile received her own mint seconds later. It fell into her hands and suddenly the smirks were gone while Chris hoisted the final mint into the air.

"You know, these things contain sugar, and that sugar may not have been grown sustainably. I mean I could just not hand this out and send both of you home for costing me hundreds of dollars in eggs today, but hey, that's just an idea," Chris mused as he turned the mint over his hands. "But alas, we're scheduled for a certain number of episodes and people seem to tune into the elimination ones more than the filler ones. So the final mint of the night goes to…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

… Zilka," Chris concluded as the mint landed in Zilka's hand. She quickly threw it aside and stood up incredibly fast.

"This isn't fair! We're trying to save animals and she just wants to eat them!" Zilka whined while directing a finger right at Lucile's face.

"Fair? I don't care," Chris responded while putting on a grin. "I want Deek's smelly buttocks off my ship before he makes people demand a refund."

"Fine, cruise ships are terrible anyways, exploitative, bad for the environment. In fact they should be banned!" Deek exclaimed while holding a finger into the air. He probably would have continued but a duo of interns interrupted him and began prodding him with boating oars, pushing him backwards towards the lifeboat until he got inside. Chris wasted no time at all in cutting Deek loose. He fell with a scream into the ocean below while Chris loomed over the side and smiled at him.

"Don't worry, if you don't bite a shark it won't bite back," Chris called out before laughing. "Oh wait, that's not how nature works…"

A few laughs escaped The Outrageous Orca and they all got up to depart the area. Zilka however, ran to the railing and gazed out over the ocean where Deek was slowly disappearing.

"Don't worry, when our eggs hatch I'll show this ship the true path," she sighed before giving a slow salute and watching Deek disappear into the wake of the ship.

* * *

 **The Nasty Narwhal**

* * *

"Attention everyone!" Liam called while his team approached the dinner table laden with an exquisite feast. It was the first time they'd all been together since they'd left Egypt and he deduced it was the perfect time to reveal the true nature of the idol to his teammates. The last thing he wanted was a suspicion on him that would result in elimination.

"What's up?" Olga asked curiously while everyone gathered around him.

"I learned the truth about this whole exile thing," Liam explained while taking a seat at the table. "When you're sent to the loser class you get a hint to a hidden immunity idol."

"Seriously?!" Natalie asked in absolute shock.

"Yep, though my clue wasn't exactly informative. It just said one exists and I'm not about to paint a giant target on my back by looking for it!" Liam announced. "Though I do assume the clues will get more and more specific as time goes on, meaning Nadie will get a better clue than me and whomever goes after that will get an even better one and so forth."

"Well then, I say we interrogate anyone who goes down there and eliminate them if they seem suspicious," Olga explained to a few nods of agreement that made Natalie nearly growl in rage.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"GREAT! Now if I go searching for this idol Olga will kick me off!" Natalie shouts in anger. "Do you have any idea how useful an idol like that could be? I could literally become the most powerful player in this game. But I need a clue first. I need to somehow get myself, Erin, or Stephen down into loser class, then I have to keep Olga distracted and search for it while she's out. I will find that idol. Mark. My. Words."

* * *

 **The Outrageous Orca**

* * *

The ship's deck was relatively cold while Lucile finished cleaning up the main pool. Garbage had been thrown out, floors scrubbed, and furniture reassembled. A movie had been played on the giant screen out there and popcorn had been trodden into the ground with extreme prejudice. Everyone seemed to be intent on making a mess but once it was cleaned up Lucile couldn't have been more proud of herself. There was no way she'd get a bad evaluation form from Chris this time, and if she kept this up maybe they'd be spared from a penalty the next day.

It was when she was putting away the cleaning supplies that she heard footsteps and turned to see Zilka sneaking away from somewhere. She raised an eyebrow curiously as Zilka snuck right past her thinking she was alone. This turned out to be completely wrong as within seconds Lucile gave a small greeting.

Zilka shrieked at the top of her lungs in response before turning around to see that it was just Lucile. Her face instantly hardened into a look of annoyance before she turned and began storming away with every intention to leave Lucile behind her. Unfortunately Lucile wasn't about to let that happen. Her arm fell on Zilka's shoulder, halting her in her tracks. Zilka instantly threw it off and turned to face Lucile with anger.

"I think we're starting off on the wrong foot," Lucile admitted while putting on a friendly smile that made Zilka recoil in disgust. "We've built an entire relationship solely around one miniscule fact about ourselves. If we're going to be teammates I think we should be looking past this dietary thing and focus on who we are outside of that."

"I'm a vegan," Zilka stated while jabbing a finger at Lucile, "and you're the type of person I don't even want to stand next to."

"Is that what you really want to be known as?" Lucile responded while pushing Zilka's hand away. "Why can't you just be friendly? Would it really be that terrible if you were just pleasant to hang around with?"

"How about you stop sticking your nose in my business?" Zilka demanded in response.

"Kind of hard when you make it everyone's business," Lucile responded with a narrow of her eyes.

"Just stop talking to me," Zilka growled before turning around and marching away with her head hung low and her hands pocketed. Lucile gave a deep exhale and watched Zilka leave before turning her attention to the direction she'd come from. She had suspicions of what was in that direction but for the first time she didn't really care. Zilka had to learn that these eggs wouldn't hatch on her own, and Lucile wasn't going to baby her through that realization.


	17. Yestin Orville

**Total Drama Ocean Cruise**

 **Chapter XVII: Yestin Orville**

 **Written By The Firebending Frog**

* * *

Yvonne's morning began in the same way it had for the majority of the game. With only a duo of wins under her belt she was used to the pathetically gross wakeup call filled with a thousand yard stare and no desire to pull herself out of bed. She had to do it of course, but that didn't stop her from hating every second of it. First she'd been a Pathetic Plankton and now she was an Outrageous Orca. Different team colours but the same amount of garbage that came with it.

Showers weren't any different from the norm. Cold water poured down from facets that had been taped together and held in place by wrenches. The numbing chill had been so persistent that it didn't even phase her. Lots of other girls jumped and shrieked at the feeling of cold water but not her. Plain soaps scrubbed away the scent of body odour and left her body smelling plain and boring, something Nia probably would have enjoyed if she had stuck around more than two days.

Dressing was also disgusting. She put on fresh underwear and a clean white shirt but the Pink Uniform she'd received had gone through two breakfast services without a single wash. It was pulled on alongside black pants, socks, and shoes. After dressing she wiped moisture off the mirror and stared at her reflection. Hair was creeping back onto her head but was nothing more than a tiny bristle. In two and a half months it would be nearly at the length she was contracted to cut it to. Despite her protests she'd made her appearance reflect that of Evelynn Rose from Black Hole Brigade, and it made her sigh in defeat.

Breakfast was just slop, there was no name to the stuff but she knew it was either eat it quickly or risk chewing on the paste it would become when cold. She didn't complain about it anymore, after a few days of starvation she'd come around to just accepting she had to consume it

The morning routine ended with an assignment to clean up some rooms with Raina. She scrubbed the toilets while her teammate made the beds. It was long past the point of degrading and was now just routine. Cleaning up the messes other people made like some kind of untalented rube. She was an award winning actress and yet there she was, scrubbing sink counters and sweating profusely. Hours of this ticked by and when it finally ended she was smelling like a cleaned bathroom. That grimy scent of disinfectant and cleaning supplies mixed with a slight hint of urine and mold. Makeup had long vanished from her face but the day didn't stop there, it never did.

"Zilka never showed up this morning, can you pick up the slack?" Phoebe requested the second the two of them encountered one another in the bathroom. Yvonne just gave a loud sigh and dragged herself to the top deck to wait on ungrateful passengers and get more things spilled on her uniform. Zilka's absence signalled an instant penalty for the team, something that made the waiting even harder to put up with.

Around one in the afternoon lunch was served, once again it had to be eaten quickly or they'd risk it tasting even worse. This opened up about half an hour for crying in the bathroom and then staring off into space with tired looking eyes. She hadn't modelled on the top deck once, she hadn't practiced acting, or spent much time in the confessional. It was likely no producer had even noticed her, let alone wished to hire her. She wanted to act for a living, she enjoyed it and had skills in it. The only problem was she'd had a string of bad roles, now teetering at a single role away from being considered advertisement poison. Her only hope was locking herself into a dumb show and being known for it for the rest of her life. Sure she'd be acting, but it wasn't like it would be anything worth watching or listening too. That's why she cried, keeping her choking muffled whenever someone entered the restroom to touch up on makeup or wash their hands.

But alas, work resumed and she spent the afternoon working so hard she wanted to just collapse in bed instead of participating in a challenge. When she'd grown up she'd been so talented that the lifestyle of the celebrity seemed to always be within her grasp. Fancy award shows, yacht parties, and rubbing elbows with the upper crust of society. She wanted the lifestyle and had the talent to achieve it, but there she was, scraping gum off the bottom of tables like the commonfolk did. It was humbling and induced a lot of sighing from her, not just because of the work she was performing, but also in regards to her previous lifestyle choice of being the one who put gum there in the first place.

There were a lot of things she'd done in the past that she likely wouldn't do again. Yelling at cooks because her eggs were just a little too crispy, laughing at store clerks who looked too tired, and complaining because her mom asked her to unload the dishwasher were all off the table now. Working what basically amounted to a service job no longer seemed out of reason. She'd gossiped with Lucile next to deep fryers, gone to bed without showering, and refrained from painting her fingernails now that the common life was surrounding her. Menial labour that just made her want to work harder and forced her brain to regret every second that she'd spent goofing off when an instructor was talking.

Unfortunately, falling onto a bed and gossiping atop a sack of potatoes were out of the question, as the ship pulled into Greece roughly three hours before dinnertime and everyone and their mother wanted to disembark. She was on hall duty with people treating her like garbage just because she had dared work a service industry job.

At long last Chris gathered everyone in the lobby and grinned at them with that stupid smile he always put on. The passengers were bad, the living conditions were worse, but Chris was by far the most torturous thing present on the ship. His presence had also been increasing steadily as he learned more and more about his contestants. Every person booted off opened up more attention for Chris to put into someone else. He'd dumped fifteen contestants so far and by this point knew how to press the buttons of a few people, Yvonne was unfortunately one of them.

He snapped his fingers and pointed at Yvonne, beckoning her forward and directing her to a nearby chalkboard on wheels. She marched over and dragged it across the floor to the host and didn't receive any thanks in return. She trudged back into line and watched as Chris cleared his throat.

"Greece is a country with a rich history and richer culture. Once being the seat of the world's power and involved in many historical challenges that occurred throughout human history. We're going to spend today re-enacting the famed feats of heroes with animatronics, wild animals, and actual swords and shields," Chris explained in excitement while whacking a pointer stick at the whiteboard. "We may not have a hydra but The Outrageous Orca should get a kick out of facing our pit of a thousand venomous snakes that will no doubt feel like a hydra. Troublesome Turtles, we've attached an Anaconda to a lion, equipped it with a rocket launcher, and taped a goat to its back... You'll have to slay it just to get a key. Nasty Narwhal we have a very special intern dressed in snake hair and wearing military grade laser technology. This is just round one too, this challenge will be fun to film, fun to watch, and exceptionally expensive, so there is no getting out of it or cutting corners. Absolutely nothing could get between me and watching you go through-"

"I'D LIKE TO RENT YOUR BOAT!" A loud and echoing voice shouted, drawing every single head in the room towards its source. Chris' pupils practically turned into money symbols while everyone else stared curiously at the man at the entryway. Everyone except Yvonne who instantly paled and shrunk down a little in response.

The guy was incredibly round with a bulbous gut, thinning hair, and a generally ugly complexion that looked as though it had been lifted by plastic surgery several times only to sag again. He had a toothbrush moustache clinging to his upper lip and wore a mauve coloured suit. His rather unappealing demeanor did nothing to scare off the twenty something year old clinging to his arm. She looked as though she'd been Frankensteined from a bunch of models to create a woman who was somehow every ethnicity but none at the same time.

"The name is Milt Morvallo, film producer," the man announced as he approached Chris and shook his hand. "My previous venue fell under an infestation of bats, I can't have a wrap party in such a location. But then I heard Chris McLean was in port and deduced that he was the only man with richer tastes than me."

"You want to rent my boat?" Chris muttered with a blink.

"And your staff, and your kitchens. Why I'll rent everything," Mr. Morvallo replied before handing Chris a wad of bills that weren't anything lower than triple digits. "Why only the best for the stars of _Ever Odyssey_!"

"Noooooooooooo," Yvonne let out as a barely audible whisper while shaking her head back and forth.

"Challenge is cancelled!" Chris shouted while throwing his board aside and being handed another wad of cash for the action. "We're putting on dinner, a show, dancing, the whole shebang!"

"That's what I like to hear McLean," Mr. Morvallo announced with a point towards Chris. "Now have your wageslaves make me a smoothie, I need someone to shout at!"

"Oh I don't pay them," Chris replied before earning a laugh.

"Genius!" Morvallo replied with a tip of his hat before he walked out of the lobby followed by a very sudden surge of people. Grips, gaffers, extras, and celebrities all walked past in a cluster while Yvonne hid from the crowd. She ducked down and avoided the sights of everyone but one. One person caught her in their sights and strut over with a gleaming smile.

Everyone noticed him approach, perfect hair, glittering teeth, and clothing that cost more than some people's houses. Zilka gasped in shock while Diane literally fainted. Wilma swooned while Brad gasped, pointed, and shook Roxie only to have his hand slapped away and disinfectant sprayed in his face. He was the boy that decorated more than one poster hung in people's rooms. Whether it be because he looked really good shirtless or because he was the star of _Ever Odyssey_ , a film series based on a world famous series of books about Greek legends. Yestin Orville was his name, and despite all the adoring fans facing him he could only saunter up to Yvonne and give a laugh.

"You know, bald is a good look for you. Brings out your manish characteristics," Yestin announced the second he was within spitting distance of Yvonne.

"I'm not bald," Yvonne announced while rising to full height and running a hand over the stubble growing on her head.

"Yes, and I'm not a world famous actor," Yestin replied while playing with his fingers. People had begun to swarm him and mutter about him, much to Yvonne's dismay. "I hear you're involved in television now, though by the smell radiating off you I have to assume you're the one who empties the trash cans."

"I hate you," Yvonne muttered in response.

"You're the only one darling," Yestin replied with a smirk before he turned and waltzed right up to Chris, wrapping an arm around the host in the process. Clutched in his fingers was a small bundle of cash that Chris stared at with hungry eyes, almost like he might snatch it at any second. "Chris McLean, nice to finally meet you. Here's the deal, I'm currently deliciously single and wanted by every teen girl on this planet. My co-star Ruby is pining for me and definitely plans to make a move tonight. Unfortunately she has the most horrid nose, so I need one of your contestants to pose as a date. Kay? Done deal?"

"Death match," Chris whispered causing every girl in the contest to exchange a nervous look.

"Perhaps we should go with something a little less face marring, perhaps making them wear brass knuckles and punch the baldest contestant in the face until she needs facial reconstruction," Yestin suggested. "Or perhaps lending me… More than one…"

"NEW CHALLENGE!" Chris shouted while throwing his arms in the air. "Best date wins first class passage for their team. Worst one gets to kick someone off tonight!"

"PICK ME YESTIN!" Zilka screamed in absolute ecstatic joy that made Yvonne growl in rage.

"Haha. No. I get to choose," Yestin responded before stepping away from Chris, now light a wad of bills. Most of the girls were watching him dutifully with only a few looking away or rolling their eyes. Yvonne could see Bebe and Kiara bouncing with joy on The Turtles while Lara, Renee, and Roxie sat to the side and paid him little heed. In fact, Renee seemed a little aggressive, probably mad that Yestin was treating this like a shopping trip. He prowled along the line of girls, never actually looking at them and only keeping his eyes trained on Yvonne. His glamourous smile was filled with malice that she could recall from years prior. A look that had persisted no matter how much his appearance had changed.

Yestin did have to break eye contact with Yvonne eventually, and when he did he took a single look at The Turtles before picking Roxie with a pointed finger. It wasn't because she was friendly, clean, or had a decent personality. The truth of the matter was that Yestin had selected her because she lacked interest. He always went after those that lacked interest. He wanted everyone to swoon over him and when someone didn't he had to make them do it.

His next pick was from The Nasty Narwhal and he looked at Olga like she was vile, bypassed the hopeful eyes of Natalie and Diane, before falling onto Nadie and Elsa.

"What?" Nadie demanded in complete disinterest while Elsa batted her eyes innocently, clearly enamoured but managing to keep control of her emotions.

"My my, what beautiful hair," Yestin commented as he extended a hand out to Elsa. Yvonne could only growl in rage as a response. Soon enough he was at her team. Wilma was trying her best not look at him while Zilka kept raising her hands and wiggling her fingers. Yestin passed both and came to a halt in front of Yvonne, raising a finger to point at her before swiftly diverting it to Zilka. She gave a scream of joy and grabbed Yestin's hand while he stared Yvonne down.

"Then it's set!" Chris announced with a clap. Roxie, Elsa, ad Zilka will attend dinner with Yestin. Dresses will be supplied and your teams will be in charge of beautification.

"I'll see you at dinner, love," Yestin grinned as he stared Yvonne down. "I like my glasses seven eighths full."

Jump Cut

"MORE GEL!" Zilka shouted while Wilma did her hair up. "I have to look perfect for my perfect boy!"

Yvonne gave a growl the second she heard this and nearly tore the pink dress Zilka was about to inhabit in two. Thankfully, Pheobe snagged it from her fingers, preventing any damage from being done to the garment. She gave Yvonne a deep look while Yvonne stared off into space, listening to Zilka's chatter about how hot Yestin was.

"Okay, something's up. First Yestin Orville knows who you are and then we start getting mad whenever people fawn over him," Phoebe announced before dragging Yvonne out of Zilka's hearing range and halting near the doorway. "Did you two date or something?"

"What?!" Yvonne demanded with an unconvincing laugh. It lasted for a few seconds before she sighed and lowered her head. "He was kind of my rival when I was a child star…"

"And you hate him because he beat you out for awards," Phoebe continued causing Yvonne to break into a laugh.

"Actually I snuffed him for every award we were up for. He claimed it was because award voters like little girls more than boys but the truth was I could actually listen to a director," Yvonne explained while planting her hands on her hips in a moment of pride. "He used to insult me all the time because my parents aren't actors like his were. He claimed he was destined to become famous and well… he did…"

"He signed onto Ever Odyssey…" Phoebe trailed.

"While I joined an indie film that punctured a hole in my career," Yvonne replied while pointing at herself and looking aside. "I was offered a role in Ever Odyssey but I didn't take it and haven't seen him since…"

"Well, right now you're not his bitter rival, you're a part of The Outrageous Orca and we have to make sure his night with Zilka is perfect or we'll be down to six players on day four of being a team," Phoebe replied while narrowing her eyes at Yvonne. "How much do you know about this guy?"

"He won't drink water until the ice is melted, demands servers stand six feet away unless ordered to approach, likes yellow lighting as it brings out his hair, needs to sit upwind of his lady so she can smell his perfume, refuses to eat meat in public to keep up his image, requires a cushion on his seat so he's taller than any girl at the table, won't eat his bread so don't serve it to him, dislikes any music that isn't smooth jazz, needs at least three woman in the vicinity so he can flirt with them, cannot stand foul scents, especially rotten eggs, is not to be around anything green as it ruins his complexion, must have a cellphone-" Yvonne rambled before being cut off by Phoebe.

"Were you married to this guy?" Phoebe demanded in absolute shock.

"Trust me, I didn't actively try to learn any of this," Yvonne replied in complete deadpan. "So long as Zilka fawns over him he'll consider it a good evening."

"Are you sure you didn't date this guy?" Phoebe asked with a point at Yvonne.

"Positive," Yvonne replied while trying her best to stifle an eye twitch.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"YES! YES I DID DATE HIM! And every minute of it sucked!" Yvonne shouts before seating herself on the chair like a bratty child. "I spent a solid year fawning over him like some kind of dunderhead and devoted every waking hour to him. Then he breaks it off and I'm so distraught I turn down my dream role just so I don't have to share a set with him. That ends up sinking my career while every girl my age on the planet goes gaga for a guy who throws a tantrum if the temperature in his hotel room is one degree too hot. He's a god damned child with absolutely no talent whatsoever but because he has abs everyone just forgives his bland delivery and constant adlibbing. He made me anorexic for nine months and what does he get as punishment? The affections of the industry and top billing in everything. I knew his face was unavoidable but seeing him in person is like a nightmare! If I didn't have a challenge to win he'd have his kiwis knocked back into his body and a jug of water poured on his head _without_ the ice melted!"

* * *

Yvonne knew she looked good in dresses. Pinks, greens, blues, blacks. Anything seemed to go with her complexion. She was an expert with makeup, had fine-tuned her body into fitness, and trained for years to wear heels. After days of perfect service and personal growth she should have been rewarded with a cleanup. A nice hot shower, a fresh set of clothing, and perfumes that smelled of lavenders and peaches. Instead she was in her grimy uniform with stubble on her head while Zilka of all people emerged onto the top deck in a beautified state. Body hair had been waxed off her body, her hair had been gelled into place, and she was clean. She'd used hot water, actual soap, and been able to soak in the lavish richness of steam for nearly an hour. A long muscle relaxing shower was followed by beautification. Her eyebrows had been plucked, her face coated in cleansing mud, and her eyes rejuvenated. She looked like a knockout despite the fact she'd spent the day prior holding people hostage in coffins until they swore off meat.

She had been done up with gorgeous eyeshadow, beautiful foundation and blush, and then stuffed into that swirling pink dress that hung near her feet. She didn't know how to walk in heels and lacked all the elegance and poise she needed, this made her taller and Yvonne couldn't help but feel the height had gone to her head.

"Do you think he'll fall in love with me?" Zilka demanded while grabbing Wilma's arms and shaking her profusely. "He has to right? This is all I've dreamed about for three years so he has to love me! He has to!"

It was a delusion of course. Yvonne knew what type of girl Yestin was into and Zilka did not fit the bill. She averted her eyes from Zilka and scowled to herself in the corner, knowing full well the evening was going to be spent with Yestin's eyes trained on her, desperately begging her to be jealous of all the attention and love he was receiving. He didn't want her back of course, in fact, he didn't even want her fawning over him. He just wanted her to get angry and seethe with rage. To see her lose her cool and prove she was a nothing more than a jealous brat. Thankfully her team wasn't up first so she was allowed to get over Zilka's makeover.

Roxie from The Troublesome Turtles was the first to have her date and the second she emerged to the top deck Yvonne felt even worse. She's clearly gotten a similar treatment to Zilka and was all dolled up for dinner, dancing, and whatever else the evening had planned. She was dressed in orange, a colour that went fine with her dark skin tone. It wasn't spectacular, Roxie probably would have paired better with a blue or red, but it was passable.

Not everyone had her tastes though as Renee seemed exceptionally impressed by Roxie's appearance.

"Wow, you clean up nice," Renee grinned as Roxie approached the group.

"What?! Am I normally filthy?!" Roxie demanded in response, causing Renee to grow an awkward look on her face.

Elsa was on the top deck pretty soon after that and she was dressed in an elegant royal purple colour that she seemed proud of. She was the one on deck with the best composure, clearly used to doing something similar. Perhaps ballet or ballroom dancing. Elsa did seem to have some very random skills, almost like she'd been signed up for physically every activity that had ever existed in the history of man.

Yvonne clenched her fist upon seeing them. She could look like that too, she just had to win the challenge, and the best way to pull that off was to make sure Zilka's evening was fantastic. Even if it meant helping her ex have a fantastic night as well.

"it's show time," Yvonne muttered before Yestin appeared and took Roxie's arm.

Dinner was being served on the top deck and was composed of three courses. Each girl got one course to leave an impression with Yestin before they were replaced. Roxie was to be present for the soup and salad portions of the meal, Zilka for the main course, and Elsa for the dessert. Yvonne couldn't exactly stand around and watch the meal occurring as she was in the midst of delivering drinks to the many celebrities that had invaded the ship. Almost every single one had something nasty to say about her. If she had the chance to just bathe regularly she'd be able to prove them wrong, sending them into apologies as they complimented everything about her. In fact, given a few months she'd have a trendy short cut of brown hair on her head, perfect for her role as Evelynn Rose.

Unfortunately that thought made her panic and scream internally. Everyone present at that dinner could pull her out of her rut, and there she was smelling like the underside of a freight train and serving them instead of networking. No one would remember the girl who gave them a drink, they were more interested in the stars and actors dressed in their best finery and doting hair done up in elegant fashions. So many girls her age, dressed beautifully and never realizing she was an award winning child actress. The gloating eyes of her peers saw her as little more than a cocktail waitress.

Roxie was far too nervous about messing up her perfect cleanup to be an appealing date, this was written all over Yestin's face while The Nasty Narwhal took his appetizer order and filled his drink. It filled up far too little and he sneered in response, making sure to notify Liam about it in the rudest way possible. Yvonne could remember such mannerisms on their many outings to fine eateries and high class diners. Yestin had inherited the snooty attitude towards the common folk his parents owned. If anything, it seemed to have gotten worse since their breakup.

When the salad arrived Roxie instantly bit her lip as she stared at the way it was built. Yvonne didn't know much about The Troublesome Turtle, but she assumed Roxie wasn't used to the way restaurants tried to make salads fancy. Bits of nut, flakes of parmesan, and freshly ground pepper. All things that could be messy if not handled right. Much more prone to spills than a simple dressing all contained in one gloop of flavour. So instead of talking to her date, Roxie spent most of her course trying her best to eat her food without making even a tiny mess. Yestin was clearly bored out of his mind while he ate his food and looked around at all the celebrity youth. For a second there almost seemed to be a human emotion in his eyes, disappointment that his date wasn't entertaining at all, too preoccupied with her looks to actually give him any attention. But this assumption died the moment his gaze fell on Yvonne and hardened into a mischievous glare.

Yvonne quickly averted her eyes, angry that she'd actually given her ex exactly what he wanted, some sort of deranged proof that she missed him and he was torturing her by going on a date with another girl. Unfortunately duty called and Yvonne spent most of Yestin's first course rushing from celebrity to celebrity, refilling drinks and taking care of their every needs. She drove her mind into her work to avoid looking at her ex, though she could tell his eyes were trained on her buttocks the entire time, probably imagining lewd thoughts in the process.

She actually didn't realize how good a job she'd been doing until the date switch happened. Zilka was at the table in seconds while Roxie was taken away for the time being, needing to touch up her makeup for the next portion of the evening. It was when Yvonne served a drink to the couple that she got a grin and comment.

"Waitressing really suits you Von Von, someday you'll make a good barista, maybe good enough to work in a celebrity bar…" Yestin grinned. Yvonne had to resist knocking him out with a water pitcher for two reasons. One for entertaining the idea that she was going to settle for a bartending position, and two for daring to use her old pet name.

This course of dinner was unavoidable, seeing as her entire team was clustered around the table, waiting to serve the star attraction of the night. Yvonne could just tell Yestin hadn't been this flirtatious with Roxie and wasn't planning on recreating it for Elsa. He was playing into his public image to a nearly sickening degree, playing off a save the animals vibe and neglecting to mention his love for barbeque spareribs. He kept laughing at Zilka's creepily knowledgeable comments and praising her appearance in very irksome ways. The descriptors could match Zilka but Yvonne knew what they were really were. Yestin was describing Yvonne as best as possible. Or rather the way he wished she'd look. He kept mentioning specific hairstyles that he'd requested from her, colours that would pair with her eyes, and plenty of high class places that sold dresses in hopes of getting a rise out of her.

When the food arrived things got even more unbearable, but not just to Yvonne. Yestin and Zilka burst into a deep conversation about the atrocities of meat that rung a little too familiar with the members of the Outrageous Orca. Another guy that would convince Zilka to do something stupid in the name of her diet. Zilka kept giggling and taking over the conversation, wrapping it back to complimenting Yestin ceaselessly. If everything else that evening hadn't bothered Yvonne, the compliments her ex was receiving were enough to drive her mad. The good news was that the main course didn't last forever and before she knew it she was clearing plates off the table.

Unfortunately Yestin couldn't even let her clear plates without bugging her. As while she collected the dishes she felt a pinch on her left butt cheek. This single motion was followed by a slap of Yestin's hand and a march away while he leered at her with that hideous grin. He'd always made fun of her rear, calling it all sorts of fatty names, but now he was interested in it? She wanted to scream and report him to some sort of authority figure. The only issue there was Chris happened to be the authority on the ship and the chances of him sweeping this under the rug could be improved with wads of cash Yestin had access to.

The last section of the meal was spent with Elsa, and once again Yvonne could only catch glimpses of the conversation, but that too was built in such a way to grab her attention. Yestin and Elsa were discussing one of his many exes. That ex was clearly her and the sound of Yestin's comments nearly made her spill more than one drink. Fatty foods going to her rear, a lack of enthusiasm, and all sorts of nasty personality traits that made this girl sound like some kind of sleaze who just wanted to mess with him. Elsa and Zilka may have fallen for the illusion that he was interested in them but the truth of the matter was that Yestin believed himself to be out of the league of everyone present on that ship. He clearly wanted to marry some Hollywood sex idol in the future and wouldn't settle for anything less. The second he realized you weren't going to be that girl he'd dump you like deadweight.

Elsa's date was probably the best of the three with Roxie's being the worst. For once it looked like The Outrageous Orca might avoid elimination, thanks to their cannon fodder no less. However, the evening wasn't over when the spoons from dessert were put down.

The next segment was some dancing and basic networking. Yestin would alternate between girls on his own whim and spend large clusters of the evening rotating between conversations with other trending celebrities and slow dancing with whomever was at his side. He'd decided to stick with Elsa going into this segment of the night and Yvonne got an earful from Zilka, who had taken to bitterly complaining about how Elsa wasn't even attractive. Roxie seemed less concerned with this and was instead searching the hem of her dress like a chimp searches for ticks. Renee was trying to calm down her paranoia by claiming Roxie was fine. It seemed to be working, the complete opposite of Zilka.

She'd spent a total of maybe half an hour with Yestin and had already developed the personality of a jealous girlfriend, even referring to Yestin as _her Yestin_. It was kind of unnerving really, nearly the same level of heartthrob Nancy had shown for that Korean boy band. She was demanding fresh spritzes of perfume. By the time Yestin decided to switch she reeked of it. Her anger was only increased when Yestin decided to swap Elsa out for Roxie. She began to viscerally rant about how she was clearly being saved for last because you always saved the best for last.

Yvonne could only sigh and stare out into the splendor on the deck with wistful eyes. She owned several fancy dresses she'd worn to many premieres, after parties, and interviews, but as a testament to her fallen stardom none of them fit her anymore. She'd gotten taller, filled out properly, and begun eating proper amounts of food. This spelled doom for the many memory laden garments she'd shoved to the back of her closet. Replaced with regular street clothes that she wore to everyday classes.

She hadn't actually attended school before becoming a falling star. She'd been taught onset by union demanded tutors. It was only when she'd failed to get a role for a solid year that her mother had decided enough was enough and sent her to public school where no one knew her name and everyone treated her like an outsider. Yestin didn't have that problem, in fact he was probably still under the tutelage of Sergey Hopstatter. It would explain the deep focus on always appearing center stage and in frame. While Yestin was being trained to be a lead actor she was simply getting leading roles in high school productions of Shakespeare plays alongside disinterested teenagers and low budget sound design.

Just watching Yestin move from celebrity to celebrity and building up his network was sickening to her. The people he chatted to and the way he held himself put him in the clear sights of being a name power celebrity, one who could make or break a film's box office with their mere presence. She felt like she should be in his place, her talent shining through instead of a bunch of manipulation and star power, alas it wasn't to be. Yestin was dancing while she wandered the floor with a platter of clams.

One would expect Yestin to avoid her, but he was too cocky for that type of behaviour. He sauntered over at the first chance he got with Roxie clinging to his arm apprehensively, almost like she was wondering what Yestin's cologne was covering up.

"Nice party huh?" He asked as he approached. For a mere second he seemed charming, but the Yestin she knew came crawling back instantaneously. "Oh wait, you weren't invited, were you."

"Care for a clam?" Yvonne demanded in response before shoving the entire platter under Yestin's face. He grew sickly looking at the mere scent of it, something that made Yvonne break into a small smirk. She had to wonder if he still ate his steak with ketchup.

"Oh those are absolutely foul," Yestin groaned while waving his hand in front of his nose. "What kind of people eat this stuff?"

"People who can afford it," Yvonne replied in a completely deadpan tone before Yestin threw his hands to the side and walked off in a fit. The second he was gone Roxie glanced left and right before snatching several clams from the platter and downing them as quickly as she could. The second she'd eaten a few she breathed into her palm and scented it. Satisfied with the smell she hurried to catch up with Yestin and a mere minute later she'd been swapped to the sidelines and replaced by Zilka. Yvonne was just impressed by Roxie's ability to fend Yestin off. Unfortunately Zilka wasn't in the mood for getting away from the boy, as she quickly latched onto his arm and paraded around with him, soaking in the dream evening every girl aged twelve to seventeen seemed to want these days.

Yvonne wasn't even sure if she could relate to this mindset. It was one of the many moments in her life when her upbringing contrasted with what she felt like she was supposed to be. The concept of obsessing over a celebrity seemed so mundane to her, mostly because she'd met celebrities. Zilka was there living a blissful date with the boy she'd just meandered around with for months on end. None of it had been anywhere near as romantic as Zilka was picturing. Heck even the gentlemanly façade Yestin had on wasn't ever present when she'd known him.

Sweeping dances occurred as Yestin swapped partners an innumerable amount of times. One second he was hand in hand with Roxie, the next he was dragging Elsa onto the floor. The reactions and dances varied in confidence and stride. Zilka rested her head on his chest, Elsa led him in an expert dance that basically secured her team the win, and Roxie stumbled about due to the heels she was wearing and kept stiffening when she bumped into other people. Her aversion to hands didn't help. By the looks of it things were starting to settle into place. Elsa was clearly the favoured date while Roxie was the one trailing behind. If observations weren't a good litmus test then Yestin's preferences were. He danced with Elsa practically double the amount of the other two combined and only switched to Zilka out of malice, hoping to get a rise out of Yvonne.

After numerous dances the moment they'd been waiting for arrived, that final big announcement from the producer. He wiggled his tie, clinked a spoon on a glass, and grinned at his attendees. Vents on the top deck were shut to cancel out white noise and he had the attention of everyone in seconds. Yvonne had heard speeches like this before. Some giant ego fest where the big wigs thanked everyone involved and started talking about awards and stuff in that avenue. What was strange was his insistence on how lovely the cruise ship was and how he planned to rent it out more. Chris stood nearby with dollar signs flashing in his eyes and a bright grin on his face. Yvonne however, could only stiffen when she heard this. Regular passengers were bad, but rich Hollywood actors who threw tantrums when they didn't get a coffee on time were hundreds of times worse. But worst of all was the realization that Yestin was included in that lump.

Yvonne grit her teeth, praying that some sort of divine intervention to occur. Perhaps she should have specified because what she got nearly made her vomit. A foul stench wafted over the deck, ceaselessly driving everyone's hands to their noses in disgust. More than one finely dressed celebrity gagged in disgust or began complaining. Even the producer giving the speech grew a sickly look as the scent intensified. Yvonne wrinkled her own nose in disgust with Louise practically fainting to her right. She had no idea what the reek was but she got an answer much quicker than she expected.

"Rotten eggs…" Lucile trailed causing every person in pink to look directly at Zilka. Everyone else followed suit and she gasped, moving her hand from her nose.

"They must have hatched!" Zilka exclaimed.

"Oh this is foul," One lady muttered.

"NO! I liberated some eggs! We'll be knee deep in chicks right away!" Zilka exclaimed.

"Knee deep? You stole that many eggs?!" Yvonne demanded in disgust.

"On second thought, why don't we forgo the impromptu cruise," The producer gagged before handing a paper to his assistant. "Just rent out an island or something!"

"Will do sir," The assistant nodded before every single celebrity rushed off the ship in a giant mass. In mere seconds the deck was empty, leaving only contestants to put up with the scent of rotten eggs. Zilka was quickly overshadowed by the looming figure of Chris, who snapped his fingers to signal two interns forward. Zilka was quickly dragged to the edge of the ship where a lifeboat was uncovered and she was shoved into it.

"WAIT!" Zilka exclaimed before Chris cut her off.

"You just cost me millions," he growled before cutting the line and sending Zilka cascading onto the dock. She landed with a thud and the boat splintered as it hit the deck. She lay in the wreckage groaning and looking dizzy while Chris turned around with anger in his eyes. His face lit up the moment he noticed a solitary celebrity had stuck around. Yvonne slapped her forehead the second she saw it was Yestin, not that he cared what she thought.

Chris slid up with a giant smile on his face and came to a halt right next to Yestin with pleading eyes. Yestin flipped his hair back cockily and planted a hand on his hip.

"Presidential suite open?" he asked.

"Discounted," Chris replied with a nod. "You'll increase our viewership in the twelve to eighteen demographic by fifty percent."

"I do believe we have a winner to decide on," Yestin replied before turning to Roxie and Elsa. Both girls exchanged a glance while Yestin put on a smile and looked between them. "The best date was…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

… Elsa," He concluded, earning a bunch of cheers and claps from The Nasty Narwhal. "I was going to give Roxanne here the loss, but I think elimination already went down."

"This is the greatest accomplishment of my life," Elsa muttered in a moment of pure fanatical admiration.

"It was a lovely date," Yestin nodded before turning to Chris. "I'd like my bags up in my room in an hour, oh and send Yvonne over there up with room service. She knows my usual."

"I will make her your personal servant if you want," Chris responded causing Yvonne to hold her hands out in disbelief.

"Perfect," Yestin chuckled before turning around and walking away.

* * *

When Yvonne knocked on the door to the presidential suite she was greeted by an annoyed Yestin at the door. The guy was clearly upset that he'd had to stand up and that Yvonne couldn't just break into his room. The cart she had was laden with several platters of food, sustenance to make up for the lack of eating on the top deck. No one would be able to photograph him eating anything beyond simple and organic foods.

"I take it you're going to request I clean this room tomorrow," Yvonne lamented with complete disinterest lining her voice. It was no mystery that Yestin would just start requesting her to do things and pay Chris to make it happen. He couldn't have Elsa or Phoebe cleaning up his garbage when it might have napkins with barbeque sauce in it.

"You've always been observant Von Von," Yestin laughed, causing Yvonne to turn around and point a finger at his throat threateningly.

"So help me I will-" She started before noticing the cocky expression on his face. "What?"

"Glad to know you definitely want me back," Yestin Chuckled. "You spent all evening glaring at my dates."

His face received a heavy slap in response and she spent the next two minutes setting up the food on a nearby table while Yestin no doubt stared at her rear with a cheeseball grin on his face. She finished setting everything up at pristine angles and turned around to glare at her ex.

"Anything else, _Your Majesty?_ " Yvonne asked in deadpan.

"You'll need to come clean things up when I ring for you, until then Chris said something about shovelling rotten eggs out of a storage closet," Yestin responded while turning his hand back and forth. "Who knows? It might drown out your awful stench."

"I'd rather shovel rotten eggs than stay up here," Yvonne replied while wheeling her cart out. Yestin just laughed in response and cocked a hip out.

"Doesn't matter hon, as long as we're both on this ship. We'll be seeing a lot of each other," Yestin chuckled.

The door slammed shut seconds later with Yvonne rolling the cart down the hall. Yestin had been right about her jealousy, however, he hadn't considered that it was aimed at his success rather than his appearance. She just sighed and entered the elevator. Watching the doors shut and showing her a warped reflection of herself. The pink suit and short hair warped about to make her look like she had a boyish haircut and reddish clothing on, a jumpsuit to be exact. If the shoes were red and there was a little more white she'd look exactly like Evelynn Rose, a fact that made her inhale deeply and shut her eyes. Cameras would no doubt focus in on Yestin, meaning so long as she stayed near him she had a good chance of being noticed. And as much as it made her want to vomit, it meant she had to be nice to him so he didn't replace her with someone else.


	18. Pizza Party

**Total Drama Ocean Cruise**

 **Chapter XVIII: Pizza Party**

 **Written by The Firebending Frog**

* * *

"Stupid Chris, stupid team, stupid challenge," Nadie ranted as she fished her things out of her locker for the second day in a row. Chris hadn't bothered asking anyone on her team who would be going down to loser class, so she'd been automatically selected without a single ballot being cast. All she wanted to do was spend a day in first class, her last team had hardly won her any time there, but the second she got onto a half decent team she was shoved into the loser class without a second thought.

She dragged her freshly cleaned uniform from her locker and as she did a piece of paper fluttered out of it and landed delicately on the floor. She quickly glanced left and right before ducking down and picking the paper up. She rose back to her feet and tore it open, deciding that not everything was as terrible as she was making it out to be. Her previous clue had claimed the immunity idol was somewhere she'd only see after the challenge results were called. That could be in either the elimination deck or first class. Her eyes lit up the second she realized the new paper was a more informative clue.

 _I am not big, I am rather small. I look down on you from upon a wall._

Nadie quickly tore the paper to shreds and dumped the torn pieces into the nearest garbage can. Her team didn't need to know the specifics of her clue. They'd all be digging in potted plants and between couch cushions while she just had to scan the walls of first class. She chuckled to herself and buttoned up her uniform, imagining herself holding that coveted immunity idol and seeing the shocked looks her teammates would grow when she played it.

* * *

For a boy that many people defined as perfect, there was a severe lack of bathroom etiquette exercised by Yestin Orville. An unflushed toilet, a complete disaster of a counter, and a littering of water on the floor greeted Yvonne when she entered the presidential suite early in the morning. A groan escaped her lips the second she caught sight of the bathroom, mostly due to the fact it destroyed any hope she had of the famous being better than the regular people.

"For a guy concerned with his image, you sure don't seem to mind acting like a basement dweller," Yvonne commented the second she saw the bathroom. Her ex was situated on the bed flipping through TV channels with half closed eyes.

"For someone with so many awards you sure clean a mean toilet" Yestin replied in an obnoxious tone that made Yvonne roll her eyes. "I always knew I'd surpass you, but those award snubs sure hurt at the time."

"They picked me because I actually read my scripts," Yvonne replied as she got to work sanitizing the toilet bowl.

"Reading scripts is a waste of time if you ask me," Yestin laughed with a flip of the channel. "All those award guys were probably just creeps."

"Oh, you're just jealous," Yvonne smirked while running the brush around the bowl of the toilet. She paused when no response came and turned her head to glance at Yestin. He had a smirk on his face that made realization creep over her own. She lowered her gaze and got back to cleaning a toilet while Yestin chuckled to himself and shook his head jovially. He didn't need to retort with anything, the mere fact she was serving as a maid was enough of a response.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"When I get scripts I start reading them immediately. I memorize and memorize until I'm at a point where I can start playing with tone, it's called being professional," Yvonne sighs while rubbing her arm. "Unfortunately Yestin has a natural talent for this type of stuff. I can spend hours trying to get the right emotion while he gets it right without any rehearsal. It pisses me off sometimes, just knowing that no matter how hard I try, there's someone out there who can match me in quality with the bare minimum."

* * *

Kiara let out a giggle from the table she was at, she couldn't be bothered to pay attention to the couple there, her eyes were instead trained across the floor at Josh. He kissed his palm and blew it at her, a motion that made her blush heavily and grin like an idiot. Her table was annoyed but she could hardly care less, her mind was abuzz with memories of the evening prior, the soft touch of Josh's lips, the tender touches, and the new page in her scrapbook that was devoted to him. Candid photos she hadn't given any importance until a few days ago. She'd covered the page in absent mindedly drawn hearts and was doing the same to her chequebook.

Her new crush was pretty cute to most of her team, the keyword being _most_. Two sets of eyes grew annoyed at her distraction. The first pair of eyes was the property of Jason, and he was livid that Kiara dare give any semblance of attention to another boy. She had all the right curves in all the right places, long red locks that flowed down her back, a cute face, long curvaceous legs, a supple posterior, and a personality that couldn't be described as anything but devoted. Jason also adored her hobby of scrapbooking and wanted that to be centered around him, to have Kiara fawning over him even when he wasn't there, biting her lip while staring at book after book filled with his visage. Unfortunately, she'd thrown her affections at a plain guy whose only standout trait was his backwards baseball cap.

The other pair of eyes belonged to Lara, and the reasoning was pretty obvious to anyone who had been paying attention to the game up to that point. She could see the annoyed looks on the patron's faces and tapped her foot in anger, waiting for one of the two lovebirds to depart so the other could get back to work. Unfortunately, they seemed to be locked in a silent flirting contest, mouthing things to one another from across the floor much to the ire of everyone waiting to have their order taken. It went on long enough that Lara took her gloves off and pushed her way out of the kitchen. She marched across the floor with angry footfalls until she reached Kiara. Her hand then shot out and grabbed the girl's ear like she was an annoyed grandmother. Kiara gave a yelp but couldn't do anything but follow Lara's tight grip to the kitchen. They burst through the doors and Lara let go of her teammate's ear, shoving her towards the dishwasher with a single fluid movement.

"This is your new station," She announced, not even giving Kiara time to respond. She then marched back to the stove and resumed cooking bacon next to Renee.

"That was uncalled for," Renee commented.

"Really?" Lara demanded in the most sarcastic tone she could muster.

"They're in love, let em flirt," Renee explained with a shake of her shoulders. Lara just rolled her eyes and got back to grilling bacon.

"Love is for chumps," Lara replied as she flipped the meat over.

"Never been in it I presume," Renee responded.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I've never felt attraction to anyone," Lara explains while staring at the camera coldly. "This entire team is a mess and I can currently only count on Bebe to vote with me. I need allies, but who on this team is willing the work with me?"

* * *

Ten seconds into starting the dishes Kiara found herself in the presence of Jason. He slicked his hair back and let out a deep breath of air like he had just realized something profound. It just made Kiara sigh, not that he was capable of picking up on any sign of disinterest.

"So, now that we're away from that loser Josh you're finally able to put her affections where they belong… On moi," Jason announced with a motion to himself.

"Nope, I still like Josh," Kiara replied in deadpan.

Jason scowled upon hearing that and quickly turned on his heel and marched to the cooler. He flung the door open and stepped inside without slowing down. Once the door was shut he began screaming his head off in the space. Jeers and insults were thrown at Josh and Kiara for a few minutes before he descended into heavy breathing in the chill of the cooler.

The door opened not long after and Lara entered in a similar state to what Jason had been in. She began screaming and shouting about Renee while Jason stood next to a wall of cheese with no option but to listen. Of course, he didn't take that option and began shouting as well. The two of them devolved into a screaming flurry of insults that could be heard outside the cooler. Practically everyone on the team exchanged a look before Trevor made a kissy face that made them all burst into hysterical laughter.

Both Jason and Lara eventually ran out of breath and stood in the chill of the cooler panting in rage. They both exchanged a look before Lara gave a deep exhale and regained her composure.

"So… you want Kiara's affections on you and I want the two of them to stop making goo-goo eyes at one another," Lara mused before a sinister grin spread over her face.

"Are you suggesting we team up and eliminate Josh?' Jason asked while an equally wicked grin spread over his face.

"So there is a brain in that head," Lara grinned before turning her gaze towards the door. "You, me, and Bebe… We can't possibly win a vote with just three of us, we'll need at least four."

"I bet I can swoon any lady here," Jason bragged while sniffing confidently.

"The person I'm thinking of isn't a lady…" Lara responded while her lips curled into the nastiest smile she'd pulled yet.

* * *

"Eating challenges come in one of three flavours on Total Drama. The first is making you eat disgusting slop like back in Japan, the second was seen last night, with proper dining etiquette," Chris explained to the three tables of contestants with a cheeky grin on his face. They'd landed in Italy about an hour earlier and boarded a bus into the city. The shop they'd ended up in had no secrets behind it. The smells, the décor, and the open windowed kitchen designated it as an authentic pizzeria, not like the street corner chains often seen back home, but rather an upscale location that once tasted put the competition to shame.

"I presume today is about the third kind," Louise lamented while Chris begin laughing.

"Correct, today won't be filled with disgusting dishes, obscene hors d'oeurvre's, or experimental entrees. You'll all be eating pizza until you literally cannot consume it anymore," Chris explained.

"There's always room for pizza here," Louise chuckled with a slap of his stomach.

"Oh, we'll see about that," Chris grinned before sweeping his gaze over the contestants again. "You will have five minutes to consume a pizza slice each round. If you throw up or stop eating you'll be removed from your team's bench. Points will not be awarded unless all the pizza your team is handed in a round is consumed. The only exceptions to this rule are Phoebe and Louise on account of their allergies. Phoebe, you'll be served lactose free pizza slices. Louise, we won't force shellfish or any related animals on you."

"Hey that isn't fair!" Elsa exclaimed while rising to her feet in annoyance. "You can't do this!"

"Actually, I can," Chris replied with a cross of his arms. "The Outrageous Orca just so happened to score highly this last shift, guess leaving Zilka out to dry did them some good. The Turtles on the other hand get this week's penalty, which we'll remedy by placing an extra slice on their table for each round."

"It still isn't fair," Elsa muttered, though Chris wasn't in the mood for listening.

"Let's start this contest with classic cheese pizza," Chris announced while several servers burst from the kitchens and placed plates in front of each player. All but one contained a sizable slice of pizza with high quality crust, at least three different types of cheese mixed around atop it, and marinara sauce that had been freshly made that morning. It smelled phenomenal and after several days of Chef's slop The Outrageous Orca and Troublesome Turtles were practically drooling. Phoebe's slice was the only one treated differently. Hers had shredded herbs baked into the sauce and said sauce was a chunkier variety with pieces of tomato and pepper visible. Everyone on the Pink team stared at it while Phoebe gave a sigh and slumped a little to the side, envious of what the others could consume.

Bites were quickly taken and unsurprisingly not a single person in the room had an issue with the dish. They all just sucked back the delicious meal like it was nothing, leaving only Josh and Kiara in the dust, and that was mostly because they were treating the challenge more like a date than an actual contest. Their teammates watched them go with Brad chewing on the spare slice they'd been handed. Renee definitely thought the two were adorable while Lara and Jason seethed at their respective seats, mad for different reasons. Jason was peeved that Kiara dare date a guy she actually had interest in and Lara was pissed because they were taking so long. They kept breaking off their chewing to talk about restaurants they knew that were high quality. They eventually finished, but were completely oblivious to the reactions they were getting.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Those two are so cute together," Renee squeals while her smile broadens as far as it can go. "I want them to date, get married, and have many precious babus."

* * *

The second slice of pizza to arrive was a classic pepperoni slice made with what appeared to be homemade pepperoni. It gave off a distinct scent and was sliced incredibly thin, almost like it was an artisan meat. Everyone on The Outrageous Orca was practically drooling at it and Louise was about to pick his up to taste it when Raina's voice cut through the air.

"Wait!" Raina exclaimed, drawing the eyes of her five teammates in the process. Wilma and Lucile blinked curiously while Phoebe grew a growl on her face. Raina swallowed nervously before pointing directly at Louise. "Louise nearly won the Japanese challenge by himself."

"And your point is?" Phoebe demanded in a venomous tone.

"Well… Why don't we save Louise for the rounds with ingredients we can't handle," Raina suggested while motioning to the only guy they had left. "These dishes are only going to get more complex, so the less Louise eats the better."

"That's a good plan," Louise nodded before pushing his plate towards Raina and making her face fall as he did this. He then leaned on the table and looked her directly in the eye. "Of course ,you're going to be the one picking up the slack here. Should your plan work you'll survive another night. If it fails it'll give those of us who weren't on The Sinister Sharks a reason to eliminate you."

Raina notably paled when this was said and Phoebe felt her anger subside, for once it actually felt like Louise was keeping his promise to help her eliminate Raina. Now that Zilka was out of the way the team had relaxed enough to allow her original plan to take root. Raina had lied to her on multiple occasions and treated her trust and loyalty like it was disposable. Sure she seemed sorry, but Phoebe knew this was just a front. Should Raina emerge to the top of the team again she could only assume she'd get right back to her old tricks.

Phoebe, Lucile, Wilma, and Yvonne ate their pizza slices in a very timely manner. Raina actually did keep pace with them during this time. Unfortunately, she'd taken on Louise's slice and every eye was watching her for those last few seconds, daring her to fail them in the second round and put them behind the other teams for the fifth time in a row. Raina however, was committed. She knew she was cannon fodder if she messed this up so she hardened her resolve and devoured the slice. Her only hope in making amends for the all the fibbing she'd done was to survive long enough for someone to give her a chance, perhaps doing well in a pizza eating contest would prove to her teammates that she wasn't their weakest link.

The second round ended with every slice that had been served being eaten. Chris didn't expect anyone to drop out in round three or four either. He wanted these early rounds to pass by breezily because it was the more interesting pizzas that would create the most entertainment.

A premature reaction came from Natalie the second she saw that the next dish contained pineapple, a combination that she couldn't describe as anything but unnatural. It made her gag and push it away, recalling the sweet and salty mixture Hawaiian pizza offered, two flavours that, in her mind, did not go together. No one else on The Nasty Narwhal had a similar reaction, in fact they all seemed happy about it.

They only had five minutes to consume their food and Natalie took a tentative bite that made her gag in disgust. Everyone was eons past her and the last thing she wanted was for Olga to target her before she had a chance to develop a solid alliance. Thankfully a solution presented itself in the form of the guy next to her.

"If it is the gross perhaps I shall be of assistance," Helden announced from her left. She pursed her lips in response before sliding the slice over to her teammate. He giggled in response before picking it up and downing it like there was nothing abstract or weird about it. The entire ordeal made a smile spread over Natalie's face while Helden licked his fingers.

"Wow, you must have, like, a really strong stomach," Natalie announced in the flirtiest tone she could muster.

"Raised on momuska's baking," Helden announced with a pat of his stomach. "We ate the stomach of sheep, tongues of the beef, and florggansmorf. Perhaps these are the dishes you must be eating to like the apple of pine…"

"Um… Sure…" Natalie replied as she glanced left and right.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"So long as he isn't gay he'll be easy to manipulate," Natalie comments before applying bright red lipstick to her lips and puckering them.

* * *

Hot peppers, spiced up marinara, and spicy sausage greeted the teams on the next pizza. For those that couldn't handle their spice this one proved to be a problem, and for those that didn't like vegetables this also proved to be a problem. Brad was picking all the peppers off his pizza and depositing them on the side. This action was the result of an upbringing where he wasn't required to eat vegetables. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he'd actively sought them out. He liked the meat though, being the type of person to simply pick it off and leave the less tasty bits for the garbage. Unfortunately this wouldn't fly in the challenge and Lara knew that.

Brad had eaten his piece minus the peppers and in an instant his eyes swung over to the piece in her hand and stared at the meat situated upon it. Knowing Brad was possibly the only person on the team willing to side with her when they got to a vote, she knew this was her opportunity to win his favour.

"Say… It looks like you enjoyed that spicy sausage," Lara commented while her face spread into a forced grin.

"Yep, it was delicious," Brad replied with a nod before looking into Lara's eyes and growing a smug expression. She instantly dropped her charade upon seeing the knowing look in his eyes. Despite how gross he was, he definitely wasn't a moron.

"Here," Lara stated while her fingers delicately plucked the sausage off her slice of pizza and placed them on Brad's plate. He cleared his throat and motioned towards her slice again prompting Lara to sigh and pick all her peppers off. In an instant the cheese had been handed to Brad while his peppers were traded to her plate.

"Now, if only I had more," Brad commented in a very knowing tone. Lara frowned before reaching next to her and snatching Bebe's slice.

"HEY!" Bebe protested, though Lara wasn't about to listen to her. She tore the meat and cheese off the slice before shoving it back into the girl's hands and passing the good parts to Brad. The boy continued to rap his fingers on the table, earning a growl from Lara. She glanced to Brad's right where Jason sat and quickly kicked his leg. He gave a yelp of pain before glancing at her. She motioned to Brad and got a head shake in return. She hardened her gaze and motioned again only to get another shake. Her fist hit the table seconds later and seemed to be frightening enough to get Jason to listen to her. He plucked the cheese and sausage off his pizza and handed it to Brad. The boy smiled happily before beginning to eat his feast of high salt foods. Lara, Bebe, and Jason on the other hand had to choke down rather plain pizzas with no cheese to accent the spiciness. All three of them were blushing from the heat seconds after the slices entered their mouths.

"Thanks," Brad grinned the moment he'd finished with his food.

"Don't mention it," Lara replied through grit teeth.

Anchovies adorned the next dish, something Wilma found absolutely repulsive. She was actively refusing to even touch the slice of pizza, not that anyone was dying to take it from her. Lucile was shuddering after a single bite, finding the fish to be absurdly salty. Her reaction was enough to get Yvonne to back down without even trying.

"Oh, you're all being overdramatic," Phoebe announced before taking a bite of her own slice. Her face fell by the second as she tasted the texture of the fish's body, the sliminess of its eyes, and the crustiness of its cooked skin. Her chewing slowed to a crawl and she gave a painful swallow before groaning and slumping down a little.

Raina was last to try it and she also had to admit the addition to the pizza was not her cup of tea. Louise was already cracking his knuckles in preparation to jump in but Raina knew he didn't have enough time to eat all six pieces. No one had a problem with any other ingredient, it was just the anchovies themselves. So she gave a deep exhale and with lightning quick hands tore the anchovies off everyone's pizza and jammed them into her mouth. Without the fish present everyone picked up their food and ate it. Raina on the other hand, chewed on the fish and gagged her way through them. By the time she was done that everyone was back to staring at her and the two slices of pizza she had to eat in order to keep up with them. She'd eaten a lot of pizza by that point, double what her teammates had consumed, and yet she managed to struggle through the round and finish just in time. A few more seconds and the buzzer would have gone off and prompted Chris to boot her from the table.

No rest existed for the contestants as the next round was out moments later. At first things had seemed fun, and to a few player it still was, but for the rest they were starting to realize the underlying torture of the challenge. No one in their right mind would actively eat this much pizza. This was especially the case for the Nasty Narwhal, who had been eating pretty decently over the last few days, to the point where a white garlic sauce was off-putting.

Most of the team was used to marinara, or maybe barbeque every so often, but this sauce tasted like Mayonnaise had been mixed with ranch dressing and dipped in garlic. It was definitely an acquired taste that players like Helden, Erin, and Nadie were all over. To Natalie it was like one of those lame diet flavours that advertised itself as delicious when in reality it tasted like the underside of a dumpster. Due to this she was the last person left with any pizza in front of her. After four wins in a row for the team this was rather alarming, especially to Nadie and Liam, who both knew that Louise had guts like iron.

"Come on man, this will not be the challenge we lose on!" Liam exclaimed with a bash of his fist on the table.

"I'm sorry, it tastes like Donkey Intestines!" Natalie exclaimed in response before looking downwards. Her eyes then fell on Helden and she lolled her head backwards while blinking rapidly. "If only there was someone with a strong enough stomach to do it for me."

"It would be the upmost of honours," Helden replied before placing a hand on Natalie's slice. This entire exchange drew a glare from Stephen and seconds later he also had a hand on the pie.

"Nah, I got this covered," Stephen announced while drawing the slice towards himself.

"I am doing this for a lady," Helden retorted with a pull towards his own person.

"Look man, back off!" Stephen exclaimed while pulling it back.

"She was talking to, a, me," Helden retorted before both boys began to fight over the piece, thinking this was some kind of battle over Natalie's affection.

"WILL ONE OF YOU JUST EAT IT ALREADY!" Nadie shouted, startling Stephen and causing Helden to win their bout.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I thought Natalie liked me!" Stephen shouts at the camera with a jabbed thumb at his own face. "But now she's flirting with Helden? That moron doesn't even know how to speak English!"

* * *

The second Lara's teeth sunk into the next slice of pizza she gagged and spat it out in complete disgust. She had no idea why it tasted so foul but she wanted nothing more than to scrape her tongue off. Other people on the team were having similar reactions with one solitary exception. Kiara took a bite of the slice and had realization wrap onto her face.

"Oh, it's gluten free," She announced before swallowing with no issue.

"How would you know that?!" Lara demanded while putting her slice down.

"My older sister has an allergy to it, we eat a lot of gluten free stuff in my house. Pasta, bread, and all sorts of other stuff has all these weird ingredients in it," Kiara explained as she listing things off on her fingers. "I know a lot of great restaurants because of it…"

"What kinds?" Josh asked in reply before the duo launched into conversation concerning restaurants that would make good date locations.

"Oh wow, this is totally gross," Brad announced while placing his slice down on the table. All the cheese and meat had been ripped off the foul tasting bread and his eyes were instantly switching between Lara and Jason with a smile on his face. Lara could only sigh in defeat and slide the toppings off her own pizza slice and dump them onto Brad's plate. She swiped Bebe's with a small protest erupting before her plain crust and Brad's own crust were put back on Bebe's plate.

"Make yourself useful for once or the team will vote me off and then vote you off in the next ceremony," Lara announced, causing Bebe to shrink back and sigh. She picked the pizza slices up and began to choke her way through the foreign food. Lara painfully swallowed her own piece while Jason did the same, all while Brad enjoyed a feast of cheese and meat, free of the flavour the crust offered. Everyone but he and Kiara were panting and gagging by the time the round ended, desperately hoping the next set of food was better than what they'd just received.

The next dish had crab meat, spinach, and a whole lot of other greenery on it. Louise wouldn't be eating it even if he wanted to, but he wasn't the only one. Yvonne couldn't take it anymore and slumped backwards, feeling stuffed to her seams. Years of proper nutrition to undo the damage of her anorexic phase had set her appetite at a specific bar that she'd already crossed. No amount of prompting could convince her to continue, and with Louise out of commission for the round, the slice was moved before Raina.

"Okay, that isn't even fair," Wilma protested with a cross of her arms.

"Need I remind you that she covered her own lying by eliminating Bryce?" Phoebe asked in response.

"But there's a limit, and she's pretty much reached it," Wilma responded while motioning at a rather dizzy looking Raina. "She's so desperate to prove her worth to you that she's making herself ill!"

"If you want to trust her be my guest, I just can't promise your safety if you go down that route," Phoebe replied with a narrowing of her eyes that Wilma returned. Louise watched this occur with a smirk on his face, already planning his next move. He'd just found his next scapegoat to skirt around. If he fed into Phoebe's paranoia he could drive a rift between the two girls and keep Raina around long enough for another team merge, at that point he could just keep relying on Phoebe with that promise of eliminating Raina acting as a metaphorical carrot on a stick.

Wilma was quick to snatch the extra slices from Raina, clearly buying into the idea that the girl had proved her worth. Wilma was just that kind of person. It was clear to her that Raina was all kinds of sorry and that the best course of action was to forgive her. Work with the girl's impressive strategizing instead of against it. Lying or not, her leadership of the Sinister Sharks had dominated the first portion of the game. If Phoebe could just get over her grudge perhaps they could organize themselves into a dominating force. Unfortunately, Phoebe was steadfast in her held grudge and with every bite Wilma took for Raina's sake she spread more and more of that grudge onto Wilma, unknowingly playing right into the game Louise wanted to run.

Yvonne wasn't alone in being full. The Nasty Narwhal felt this reality pretty hard on the next pizza, a chicken one using a Thai sauce instead of marinara. Both Diane and Elsa lacked the right appetite for this type of challenge and only got a short ways into their pizza before devolving into endless chewing and sickly groans. Even with the girls out of commission things weren't looking too sour for the team. Olga in particular could just suck back the pizza in seconds and hadn't even slowed down from round one. She was done in the first minute and guessing what the next round would be before anyone else got even close to finishing their current slice.

Natalie's continued flirting with Helden made him try to impress her by swiping Elsa's half eaten piece off her plate and eating it himself. Stephen wanted to compete but Olga happened to beat him to the chase and down Diane's slice without even breathing. Stephen could only sit back and watch as Natalie continued to flirt with Helden with increasing frequency, something Helden had miraculously picked up on.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Natalie is the amazing, she is pretty and nice and friendly and full of compliments," Helden explains with a giddy smile on his face. "Mama always said to attract girls one must do the things that they are the unwillings to do. I, Helden, never suspecting it would be the eating of the pies of pizza that would accomplish this task, but it has and the girl is beautiful. She has hair like mousonfrat, eyes like ocean, and attitude of valentine. I will court her and take her to home country where we shall ski in lodges and cozy up by the firespittle of fallen spruce, going on sleigh rides in the snow, and raising offspring in the foothills of Mandook. They shall speak four languages and become strong from lifting the powder. It shall be a good life."

* * *

When Brad grew grossed out by the entire piece of pizza before him, toppings and all, Lara tried to pawn it off onto Bebe again, only to find that her teammate was lying on the table, unable to take another bite. She wasn't the only one either, Roxie was also filled to the brim with pizza and groaning about it. Everyone else was slogging through the dish and gagging when they were done with it. It was clear that no one on The Troublesome Turtles could eat the diet that Phoebe lived through every day. The lactose free vegan cheese they'd been served did not taste right in the slightest and because of this Brad was forcing his piece onto Lara.

Jason looked scared, like he didn't want to even touch the thing. He was avoiding eye contact even after he choked down his own slice of the pie. With Bebe out of commission and Brad basically holding his allyship hostage, Lara had no choice but to eat a second piece herself. She barely managed to swallow her own piece, plugging her nose in hopes that it would nullify the flavour, it didn't. She chewed for far too long, struggled to swallow, and generally had a miserable time. And that was just her first slice.

Bite after bite passed through her lips and it curdled up into her nasal cavity, driving all her taste buds and scent glands insane. She gagged with each swallow, acid reflex was activating in her throat, and heartburn was igniting in her chest. Everything slithered down her throat until she swallowed the last bit and slammed her fists on the table. It was at this moment that an air horn sounded for time and she glanced upwards.

No one had even touched the pieces Roxie and Bebe had left untouched. They'd just lost a point that round and were now lagging behind the other teams on the scoreboard. Lara felt her eye twitch for two reasons, first was the fact they were now losing a challenge to The Outrageous Orca, and second because she'd just choked down food that tasted worse to her than Chef's cooking.

"And the Turtles fall behind," Chris announced with a cheeky grin.

"We're well aware of that Chris," Lara growled while turning her head to glare at the host.

Thankfully the next round was brought out before she could insult him further. Five pieces of pizza with absurd levels of meat on them were placed at the Outrageous Orca table and upon seeing them Raina slumped on the table with a groan and upset belly, having eaten double her fair share of pizza. Lucile likewise took a few bites only to stop chewing and groan.

"Looks like you failed us Raina," Phoebe announced in the most condescending tone possible.

"Nonsense," Wilma argued before rubbing Raina's back. "Yvonne dropped out first and Lucile ate like half the food she did, girl earned her keep today."

"Listen to me closely Wilma, had Zilka not caused such a fuss we would have eliminated her already. I'm not about to let bygones be bygones because she just happened to last long enough for people to forget what she did," Phoebe explained before taking a bite of her pizza.

"You act as though she's incapable of remorse," Wilma responded while planting her hands on her hips. "Besides, she's done nothing but try to apologize to you since."

"People will burn you multiple times if you let them," Phoebe retorted while bashing her finger against the table. "No matter what you say or believe I will not accept any sort of apology from her."

With that being said Phoebe finished off her own slice of the pie and groaned upon feeling her full stomach. Wilma was in a similar situation but they still had two and a half slices of pizza to go. Wilma grabbed one while Phoebe grabbed the other. Moments passed as the two scarfed down the slices and had their hands meet on Lucile's half eaten one. Both girls held it for a few seconds before both groaned slumped onto the table. With seconds on the clock, the final member of the team cracked his knuckles, picked up the slice, and ate what remained right before the buzzer sounded.

"Game time," Louise announced while patting his ironclad belly.

Envy aimed at Erin increased tenfold when the next pie came out. Erin wasn't able to down any more pizza, which was a pretty good thing considering the fact that the pizza that was handed out happened to be Vegan.

To anyone who wasn't on a meat and meat byproduct free diet these things tasted strange and contained odd textures that made them impossible to enjoy. This was especially true for Liam, the boy hadn't been anywhere near a meat free diet before and the second the taste of the flavours hit his tongue he actively vomited onto his plate. It was a disgusting sight that made most of his team gag and begin fanning their noses from the grossness of Liam's reaction to the food. Nadie gagged exceptionally hard and it was clear that no one wanted to touch the stuff, all but Helden.

"Since you're so used to… unique dishes, perhaps you could eat this piece for me?" Natalie asked while blinking sweetly at the boy and smiling as broadly as she possibly could.

"I am ons it!" Helden proclaimed before beginning to scarf pizza down. His teammates watched with wide eyes and small cheers of encouragement. Olga ate her own piece while Stephen tried his hardest to get through his own. Helden was quickly on Natalie's piece, then Nadie's, and before he could even react he had the only piece left in his hands. He sucked it back with a shudder before groaning and leaning on the table. As he did this Helden groaned and fell backwards off the bench they'd been seated on, effectively revealing how full he was.

"My hero," Natalie sighed in a tone that made Stephen sigh in defeat and smack his hands into his eyes.

Not everyone had an iron gut like Louise or the sheer willpower like The Narwhal had, as for the second time that contest The Troublesome Turtles failed to eat their way through the pizza. Kiara and Josh were done with eating, Renee had given up with seconds left on the clock, and both Lara and Jason were teetering on the edge of defeat. Only four eaters were left on the team, Brad, Jason, Lara, and Trevor, and if Lara and Jason didn't keep Brad happy they both knew things were going to be looking pretty sour for any hope of an alliance. Not that Brad seemed to care that they were on the edge of defeat.

A four cheese pizza definitely wasn't what the nearly full players needed. Both Lara and Jason groaned upon seeing it while Trevor dove into it. Brad however, grew a disgusted look on his face and wrinkled his nose.

"I. Hate. Goat cheese," he proclaimed while crossing his arms and pointing his nose to the sky. Both Lara and Jason knew that falling another point behind spelled death for their team.

Lara reached out, tore the pizza in half, and pulled half towards herself. Jason did the same with the other half before they both jammed the food in their mouths. Chewing slowed down, their bellies protested angrily, and Jason had melted cheese start leaking out of his face. They both swallowed though, just making it through the round. Nothing more could come from them though, as seconds later Jason stood up and ran towards the bathroom with his mouth covered. Lara breathed heavily for a few seconds before rising to join him. The sound of vomiting erupted from the bathrooms, and anyone left in the contest cringed in disgust.

For as fair as the game had been up to that point, Louise was suddenly angered by the next slice presented to him. Multiple kinds of mushrooms sat scattered over the cheese of the pizza, and with them were shrimp. Normally not eating what was put before him would earn him a disqualification but Chris had stated that he was allowed to simply take a point penalty. To say he was mad was an understatement and a quick glance at his teammates proved that they were equally angry.

"Way to go Raina, your plan just cost us the win!" Phoebe exclaimed while pointing at Louise.

"Oh yeah, she totally knew what kinds of pizza were coming," Wilma exclaimed while waving her arms around in a mystic fashion.

"Well, she came up with a plan that had an obvious flaw in it," Phoebe responded while motioning to Louise. "Shrimp is a popular pizza topping, we should have known something like this would come up."

"Once again, I think you're holding onto this grudge a little too hard," Wilma responded in annoyance.

"Sorry to say it, but Phoebe's right," Louise interrupted while leaning on his hand. "People who make plans should account for even the smallest possibilities or they'll find the things they ignored screwing them over."

"You hear that?" Phoebe demanded while looking Raina right in the eye. "If we lose, you're done!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I knew letting Raina just sit around was a mistake. All that betrayal has simmered down and now people could hardly care less. Ugh! I'm so dumb for eliminating Warren instead of her!" Phoebe shouts at the camera.

* * *

Nadie stood up and rushed to the bathroom the second she tasted the next slice of pizza. Everyone cringed at the sound of retching but couldn't be bothered to blame Nadie in the slightest. The slice before them had been flavoured with mint, something that most people found odd if anything. Natalie and Stephen were both grossed out by it, though their teammate didn't seem to care. Olga practically inhaled the slices the second the two decided they didn't want to continue. She ate all four without any hesitation or slowing down, something that invoked annoyance in Natalie again.

Olga was just too strong. She was smart, good with eating challenges unless they contained raw fish, great with physical activity, and perfect at practically everything. She had been the reason The Sharks had been able to pull wins so easily and The Narwhal were doing the same now. But if she got even remotely close to the individual game things would quickly turn on their head for everyone in the game. She'd win immunity after immunity and leave everyone else circling the drain.

Louise had no issue with the slice and quickly polished it off and complimented the flavours. This was a complete contrast to Brad who refused to even touch the thing. One piece was hard for Trevor to handle but two proved to be impossible and he quickly slumped down and groaned. Leaning on the table in a sickening fashion. He'd failed the round, and because it was Brad's piece it spelled an instant doom for the team.

"It seems to me like only two people here are hungry," Chris announced while glancing between Olga and Louise. "I'm going to call it now and give The Troublesome Turtles their first loss. We'll be seeing you lot at elimination."

Loud groaning from the orange team came as a response.

"Here's how we're going to solve the winner, you two will now consume as much pizza as possible, most slices eaten within a ten minute time span wins for their team. Because The Narwhal are up one we'll count that here," Chris explained before a shuffle occurred. Every player in the game surrounded a single table where Olga and Louise had seated themselves. Simple pepperoni pizzas were placed down on the tabletop and Olga cracked her neck while Louise stretched his arms in preparation.

Seconds later a bell was chimed and both players took off eating. The absolutely massive Olga versus the iron gutted Louise. The fact they'd been eating pizza for the duration of the challenge didn't affect anything, both were quickly devouring slice after slice and guzzling it down with water. Olga was fighting to defend her team's winning streak while Louise was hoping to drag his team to first place.

Though the two were evenly matched it was clear one was capable of eating faster than the other. Larger bites, quicker swallows, and a bigger stomach were leading this player to the win. And unfortunately for Louise his iron gut wasn't the biggest thing in the world. Olga was just a complete monster, having eaten in every single round to that point and still going. Not exactly surprising seeing as her parents often had to cook huge meals just to keep her nourished. When the buzzer rang, Louise's head dropped on the table with a groan while Olga stuffed whatever was left on the table in her mouth and stood up with her arms in the air.

"AND THE NASTY NARWHAL WIN AGAIN!" Chris exclaimed while grabbing Olga's arm. "Since you won this for your team you get to choose a player to send to loser class for the duration of our next trip."

"Diane is my choice," Olga announced without any hesitation. A choice that made Diane glower in anger and stomp her foot on the ground. The exact reaction Natalie was hoping for.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"WHAT GIVES?!" Diane demands. "Elsa dropped out before I did! She should be the one going to loser class, not me!"

"Well, at least we didn't take last again," Lucile sighs as she leans against the counter, almost seeming relieved that she won't be having to cast a vote in the current tense air between Phoebe and Wilma, an air that she's clearly in the middle of.

* * *

"You did soooooo good today," Natalie flirted as she and Helden walked down the hall in first class.

"A man can do anything if he has the rightest of motivations," Helden replied in the best macho voice he could muster. It was still giggly and effeminate despite his best efforts, not that this seemed to deter Natalie. The two of them halted outside of Helden's bedroom and he quickly bent down and laid his lips on Natalie's hand. "Helden bids farewell ladyfriend. I shall return with the poem of lovers for your stirring heart."

"I look forward to it," Natalie smiled before drawing her hands behind her back and beginning to sway back and forth. She gave Helden a flirty look and he backed into his bedroom giggling, shutting the door seconds later. Natalie's face spared no time in twisting into a joyous smile. Nothing had gone wrong that day. She was in first class, Diane was down in loser class, and Helden was in her pocket. When the time came she'd have a numbers advantage to carry her through the rest of the game, the hidden immunity idol in her pocket, and a solid series of votes to throw at Olga.

It was at this moment that Stephen slunk up behind her and placed a meaty hand on her shoulder. She smirked and turned to face him without her smile dropping in the slightest.

"So you like Helden now?" Stephen demanded with an annoyed cross of his arms. He didn't have long to resist her as she had her fingers clinging to the back of his neck in seconds, drawing the two of them intimately close.

"Oh Stephen, simple, simple Stephen," Natalie giggled before pulling herself forward and planting her lips on his. Any annoyance directed at her melted under their embrace and they spent a solid minute sucking one another's lips. When that kiss finally ended Natalie pulled herself backwards and put on a smile while gazing at Stephen with half closed eyes. All his anger was gone, of course it was. Why could he still be angry at her after she just delivered such a passionate profession to his lips? He was apparently stupid enough to think she'd like Helden with his freaky accent, broken English, and strange mannerisms. She liked the manly build Stephen sported, with muscles strong enough to pick her up, lovely dark hair, and the beginnings of a full manish beard appearing on his face. "How about you just stand back and let me play the game…"

"I dunno…" Stephen trailed before she pressed her lips against his again. He drew her in close this time, holding her in his large and powerful arms. After a few seconds they parted again and Natalie gave another smirk that Stephen couldn't help but return.

* * *

 **The Troublesome Turtles**

* * *

"I'm sick and tired of Jason flirting with me," Kiara explained before motioning at herself. "I mean, he can't even tell that I'm taken."

"Totally Kars," Josh nodded from beside her before frowning and letting out a sigh. "Man coming up with pet names is hard!"

"I understand where you're coming from, but Lara takes priority," Renee replied. "Her nitpicking undid a solid week of work on Roxie. Imagine what another day of that could do!"

Renee followed this up by glancing right at Roxie, who had taken to scrubbing the counters of the kitchen so hard she was getting off stains that normally required degreaser to remove. She'd slipped right back into manic cleaning the second her work had been nitpicked. It may have gotten Roxie one ten star review but had put her so far behind that she'd received a dozen zeroes as well.

"You only prioritize that because you have no idea what it's like to be the one Jason is pining after," Kiara interrupted as she jumped down from the counter and approached her teammate. "I'm an object to him, some trophy to be won and put in a glass case so he can show everyone what he's accomplished. I'm honestly afraid he'll try to actually do something if we don't get rid of him this instant."

"Well, you know firsthand what Lara can get like when she goes on a power trip," Renee replied in deadpan

"That wasn't as bad a Jason," Kiara responded with a huff. "We can deal with Lara for one more day."

"Jason's ego doesn't do any lasting damage," Renee retorted before turning towards Trevor with a pointed finger. "What do you think?!"

"I think if Jason's making Kiara uncomfortable, we eliminate him first," Trevor replied with a cross of his arms. "We follow standard harassment procedure, Lara's a bad boss but Jason sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen. The sooner we knock him out the sooner we can turn our attention onto Lara."

"And what about you?!" Renee demanded with a point at Brad.

"I'm with you," Brad shrugged, earning a smile from Renee.

What followed was a loud bout of arguing between Renee and Kiara that ended with Renee storming over to Roxie, grabbing the girl's wrist, and dragging her out of the room. No one wanted to remain behind so they all quickly vacated, that was with the exception of Brad. He just stretched and walked over the cooler with half closed eyes and pursed lips. When they'd entered everyone had checked an area for spies. He'd checked the cooler and called it clear, that had been a lie. He pried it open and found himself face to face with three chilled to the bone players. Bebe was shuddering, Lara was trying to play it off as cool, and Jason was bragging about how he was so masculine and awesome that he was heating the girls by just being in their presence.

Not wanting to risk the others coming back Lara grabbed Brad by his greasy shirt and dragged him into the cooler with the trio. They all stood there amidst food prepared for the following morning and shivered from the chill.

"So you're voting for me then," Lara growled with narrowed eyes.

"Hey, did you want me to split their vote or not?" Brad demanded while reaching out and opening a container of sliced beef. He began eating chunks of it while Lara's eye twitched, but she refrained from saying anything.

"Then our vote is clear, Josh is the target, we feed the blame between Kiara and Renee, eliminate one of them, and take control of the team before they even know what's hit them," Lara explained while bashing her hand into her fist.

"But Josh and Kiara are cute together," Bebe protested from behind Lara.

"Zip it Bebe, if we go you're next," Lara exclaimed, earning a downwards look from Bebe. She quickly turned her eyes to Brad and narrowed them suspiciously. "We can trust you on this right?"

"Sure, yeah, whatever," Brad shrugged as he stuffed more beef in his mouth.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"My plan in this game is to perpetually be a swing vote," Brad explains while planting his hands on his hips. "If you're not definitively on a side, people will keep coming to you for help, even if you're not actually going to help them…"

* * *

Sunset signalled every single member of the orange team to mass around the elimination deck. Bebe had seen the area with Lara before, Brad and Jason had endured multiple ceremonies on the deck, Kiara and Josh were survivors of many castaways, and Renee, Roxie, and Trevor had always voted together in the space. This was the first time they'd be experiencing it as a unit. How did Lara act before elimination? Who got jitters? And who answered Chris' rhetorical questions with sincerity? It was all on display as the group came to a halt before the host and watched as he broadened his grin and swept his gaze across the lot of them.

"And here I was beginning to think The Orca would keep losing, guess you guys have proven me wrong," Chris chuckled, causing everyone to glance back and forth with frowns on their faces. "You know the rules, cast a vote, receive a mint, and send someone away. Tonight's going to be so fun…"

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I vote for Jason," Kiara announces with a quick stamp of the boy's passport. "He does nothing but make lewd comments and get in the way of challenges… Not that Renee realizes that."

"I vote for Lara," Renee announces with a quick stamp of the girl's passport. "She's messed around with Roxie and if allowed to take control of this team we'll be living like The Plankton did… Not that Kiara realizes that."

Lara gives Josh's passport a quick stamp before she smiles at the camera and walks out.

"I hate to do this but Lara's right…" Bebe sighs right before she stamps Josh's passport. "I'm so useless that the team will target me for just being… well, me."

Brad hovers his stamper over Josh's passport before it drifts over Lara's. It then returns back to Josh's and the camera cuts to static before he can actually stamp anything."

* * *

"The following players are safe," Chris announced while hoisting up the first mint of the evening. "Bebe…"

Bebe gave a deep sigh of relief as the mint landed in her hands. Chris didn't loiter on her long though, as he quickly picked up the next mint and scanned over the remaining eight, letting the pause drip with tension.

"Brad," Chris continued as the absolute slob received his safety symbol and looked at the players sitting around him. "Kiara."

Kiara received her mint with a deep exhale and gave a slow squeeze of luck to Josh's hand. The two exchanged a sweet smile before Chris continued.

"Renee."

The artist had her mint seconds later, not at all surprising to her. She hadn't exactly done anything to warrant an elimination.

"Roxie."

Roxie caught her mint with a relieved sigh, she had never gone into a single elimination ceremony without that fear in the back of her head that things would turn sour.

"Trevor," Chris finished before his gaze swept over the three remaining players, all of whom had received a portion of the vote that evening. Jason, Josh, and Lara all exchanged a look of confidence. Chris however, wasn't about to let that confidence sit. He raised the penultimate mint into the air and parted his lips dramatically. "Lara!"

Renee instantly bashed her fist against the ground as the former Putrid Plankton took her mint with a grin and glanced at Josh with half closed eyes and a smirk on her face.

During this time Chris raised the final mint of the evening and put on his biggest smile yet. "One of you racked up four votes this evening, the other only had three. The player that gets to stay in Total Drama Ocean Cruise is…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

… Jason…" Chris concluded, earning a gasp from most of the team.

"NO!" Kiara shouted while rising to her feet in disbelief. "That can't be right!"

"Two votes Lara, three votes Jason, four votes Josh. That makes nine," Chris responded in a matter of fact tone. "Josh was just voted out fair and square."

"But…" Kiara trailed before Josh's arms fell on her shoulders.

"Hey, it's alright," Josh explained while putting on a half-smile. "I didn't expect to win, I just kind of wanted to play on Total Drama… But I got you, and that's better than the million dollars if you ask me."

Kiara quickly moved in for a tight hug, holding Josh as close as she could. He returned the embrace and they stood in it for about a minute before breaking apart, holding each other and smiling. They couldn't stand there for long though, as Chris was beckoning Josh to the newly uncovered lifeboat. The boy marched towards it with a smile and boarded with a glance back at Kiara. She watched him go with a brave smile on her face, but the second he was dumped into the ocean it fell into a frown and she shed a single tear of defeat.

A few murmurs of condolence escaped her teammates and one by one they all departed while she watched the lifeboat carrying her partner drift further and further away from her. It was only after everyone had left did she hear a voice clear itself. She quickly turned just in time to see Jason saunter over. His hand fell on her shoulder in a smooth fashion while a beaming smile erupted on his face.

"Don't worry babe, I'm here if you need a shoulder to cry on," Jason smirked, his grip so tight that Kiara couldn't pull away no matter how hard she tried. She could only glance at the ocean and wish Josh's boat would turn around. Unfortunately it had already been lost in the lapping waves of the Mediterranean Sea.


	19. City of Love

**Total Drama Ocean Cruise**

 **Chapter XIX: City of Love**

 **Written by The Firebending Frog**

* * *

The S.S. McLean had pulled into France during the early hours of the morning and spilled her passengers out into the coastal streets. Wakeup had been egregiously early due to this and most of the contestants felt like it was already four in the afternoon rather than early in the morning. The six Outrageous Orca had grumpily cleaned linens for hours on end while kitchen prep had been a nightmare for the eight remaining Troublesome Turtles. The Narwhal were fairly rested, all except Diane, who had spent way too long the night prior searching for that hidden immunity idol she'd received a clue for. She was groggy eyed and kept yawning loudly throughout the entire bus ride they took inland.

The ride had stopped in a small flower shop on the edge of a gorgeous countryside and no one had any idea of what the challenge would be that day, only that Chris was grinning at them throughout the trip, no doubt planning something sinister. No one was really in the mood to listen to him seeing as they were already seventeen eliminations into the game with no end to their current predicament in sight.

When they stepped off the bus Chris took to handing out flowers to everyone, coloured to their exact teams with only three oddities present. No one batted an eye until they got inside and clustered together in teams. It was then that three players noticed the odd colours of their flowers. Yvonne was the first, her team all sported pink flowers while she clutched one with a solid orange colouring. Trevor from The Turtles found himself in a similar situation with a purple flower clutched in his own hand. Nadie crushed her own pink one in her hand angrily, already suspecting what Chris was about to announce.

"Four eliminations down, we've said goodbye to three members of The Outrageous Orca and one of The Troublesome Turtles," Chris explained while planting his hands on his hips. "The producers were growing kind of sick of the pattern, so we decided to do a little rearranging today just to see if we could mix things up a little bit."

"This is not fair man," Nadie growled while dropping her flower and grinding it under her foot.

"Random chance got you onto that team and random chance just got you off it," Chris retorted with a point towards the pink mat. Nadie stomped her foot angrily in response before storming over to the mat belonging to the worst active team. Yvonne gave a little glance at The Orca before sighing and walking towards The Turtle mat, in all honesty she was kind of relieved by the sudden movement. Trevor meanwhile, shook Renee's hand before walking over to the Purple team with a smile spread across his face.

Chris scratched his nose during this time and watched the players move about. He'd handed out the flowers at random, hoping to somehow feed The Orca a strong player, add a wildcard to the Turtle's power struggle, and hopefully splinter the monstrous advantage the Narwhal were toting around. Only time would tell if he was successful in his venture, but he had his doubts. Trevor made The Narwhal stronger, Yvonne hated Lara and would do nothing more than take Trevor's place, and Nadie was strong but didn't really have any skills that Wilma and Phoebe didn't already cover. If he were to be asked he would denote the entire thing as a failure. Too bad though, he didn't want team swaps to become a gimmicky thing he played every day.

"Take note of your teammates," Chris ordered, drawing eyes towards him as he spoke. "Because today we'll be pairing you off for a little quality time and rating you based on how romantic you're willing to be with your teammate."

"Awesome," Jason grinned while slinging his arm around Kiara's shoulder.

"Hold your horses Jason, I'm making the pairings and must ask for a player to sit out on The Narwhal," Chris stated while turning his attention to the team.

The Narwhal burst into murmuring, sizing one another up, and building up arguments as they went. Their choice came as a clear obvious, Erin was an incredibly unlucky guy who hadn't exactly proven himself to be romantic in the slightest. The fact he was embarrassed by the challenge description helped in the decision making process. They announced their pick and Chris quickly cleared his throat and glanced over at The Outrageous Orca.

"Orca, your pairings are Phoebe and Raina…" Chris started.

"Dang it," Raina sighed while her teammate glowered at her.

"Nadie and Louise," Chris continued.

Both former Calamari players glanced at one another, sizing the other up. Louise was rather prim and proper, having attended private schools all his life and learning proper etiquette. Nadie on the other hand, was a country bred girl from the middle of nowhere Saskatchewan that hadn't worn a dress since she was six. It was safe to say neither was enthusiastic.

"Wilma and Lucile,"

Wilma and Lucile exchanged an odd look before shrugging. They didn't know one another that well but five challenges as a team had defiantly made them somewhat compatible. The only weird factor was Wilma's relationship with Trevor and Lucile's attraction to Liam, they didn't exactly find their own gender that appealing.

"Turtles, your teams are Roxie and Renee,"

The two girls exchanged a look before Renee gave a mock bow and handed her flower to Roxie like some kind of chivalrous knight. Roxie instantly giggled and took it before putting on a mock swoon that earned a stifled laugh from her teammate.

"Kiara and Jason."

"Kill me now," Kiara ordered with a slap of her forehead.

"No one's gonna touch you babe, because I'm here," Jason announced while flexing his bicep and putting the other arm around Kiara. His grip was so tight she couldn't escape and just got a whiff of his overpowering cologne. It made her feel faint and Jason definitely took this as swooning.

"Yvonne and Lara."

Lara rolled her eyes at the sound of this and tapped her foot impatiently, demanding that the challenge end before she was driven insane. Yvonne just sighed and rubbed her temples, happy she was off the losing team but also upset she was once again in Lara's presence.

"And Brad and Bebe."

Bebe turned to look at Brad and felt her eyes widen in disgust. Brad glanced at her with complete disinterest and it looked to her like he hadn't even changed his clothes since the contest began. The scent wafting off him didn't help matters much.

"For the Narwhal we have Trevor and Olga."

Trevor whimpered and gave a glance at Wilma, almost like she might turn and scream at him. However, she was busy talking to Lucile and didn't seem to care that he'd just been paired with another girl. Olga on the other hand grabbed Trevor in a headlock and delivered a rough noogie to his head, claiming they were teamsies again.

"Helden and Natalie."

"Yay!' Natalie beamed while embracing Helden tightly and popping a leg into the air.

"Diane and Elsa."

Elsa gave a glance at Diane, compared her to every boy that had ever flirted with her, and simply gave a huff of dissatisfaction that made Diane scowl.

"And finally Liam and Stephen."

"NO WAY!" Liam proclaimed with a wave of his hand.

"Bro, this is not cool!" Stephen exclaimed with a point at Chris.

"Your first task of the day is to get flowers for your significant other. Least romantic pairing is eliminated from the challenge," Chris explained while placing his hands on his hips. "You have fifteen minutes… BEGIN!"

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"When I heard we were going on dates I thought I'd be getting flowers for a girl," Liam admits in deadpan. "Not that I like flowers, or girls who like flowers. But even a preppy primadonna would be better than a dude!"

* * *

"This one is nice," Bebe admitted as she placed her hands on a small blue coloured flower that spiralled into the center. However, the second she touched it she felt her feet give way from under her and she slammed into the table, sending vases of flowers crashing to the ground and spilling water and plants all over herself. Her clothes were filthy in an instant and her partner burst out laughing while she gagged and brushed water off her shirt.

Not far away Liam and Stephen were awkwardly picking out flowers and acting weird around one another. Roses were out of the question so both boys had turned their focus onto a series of cacti, because cacti weren't romantic in the slightest. Neither dude was willing to show any romantic interest in the other, an action that made both Chris and Chef exchange a look and shake their heads, scrawling on clipboards in annoyance.

Brad wasn't exactly much better to Bebe. She'd stood up and tripped again, getting dirt and water spilled all over her clothing while Brad watched and made comments about live mud wrestling and wet T-shirt contests. He was making Bebe incredibly uncomfortable and she was trying her best not to cry, her first ever date was with a complete slob who made fun of her balance issues, constantly made lewd comments about her body, and kept egging her to trip over more things. She had fertilizer and green plant gunk all over her clothes while thorns had torn her skin and caused blood to painfully trickle out.

Perhaps the two would have been a shoe in for elimination if it weren't for an even more uncomfortable situation occurring at the far end of the shop. Jason had picked the most beautiful array of flowers he could find. Vibrant roses, beautiful violets, white flowers with yellow cores, buds that would erupt into a medley of purples and pinks once placed in water, and the alluring scent of the flowers themselves wafting through the air. Kiara however, was completely unresponsive to his flirtation. She had her back turned to him with her nose in the air and a frown on her face.

"When we're married you'll receive a bouquet like this every day," Jason announced while puckering his lips and putting on the sexiest face he could muster.

"I'm not talking to you," Kiara responded while watching Roxie and Renee hand flowers back and forth at the other side of the room. Both girls had taken to shoving as many as they could into Renee's braids until she was decorated with blossoms.

"But chicks dig flowers, flowers and chocolates," Jason announced with a beaming grin.

"I don't like flowers, or chocolates," Kiara responded defiantly.

"How was I supposed to know that?" Jason demanded while lowering his catch of flowers.

"Josh knew that," Kiara responded while closing her eyes. "Because he asked me. You just want a trophy to shove in other people's faces."

"You're telling me you don't wanna hang off these guns?" Jason demanded while flexing his impressive array of muscles and gazing stupidly at his own biceps. "If I was a chick I'd go after a prime rib of a man like me."

"I'm just going to stand here until we're eliminated, then our team can lose and I can send you floating away in a lifeboat," Kiara stated in a bold tone.

"Last time I checked you're the only one targeting me," Jason smirked while rising to his feet. "Brad, Lara, Bebe, and I verses Renee, Roxie, and, since Trevor's gone, no one else. Lara's mad that Renee targeted her so she's next, not me. Babe you gotta face the music, you and I will be spending a lot of quality time together."

"NOW LISTEN HERE!" Kiara shouted while turning around. The second she did she had a massive cluster of flowers thrust in her face just as Chris and Chef walked past. Both men gave a nod and scrawled little check marks on their clipboards before moving on to evaluate the mess that was Bebe and Brad. Kiara instantly gave a growl of rage and threw the flowers back at Jason. He wasn't deterred and quickly slunk up to her, wrapping his meaty arm around her shoulder and squeezing her close.

"Picture it. Me, a pro footballer. You, my lovely wife. I get home after a big game and you've prepared us a big steak dinner…" Jason started, causing Kiara to sigh as he burst into a long winded fantasy about their life together.

* * *

"After evaluating your performance here we've decided to give the loss to Brad and Bebe," Chris announced while the Turtles burst into groans of annoyance. "Everyone else, it's time to go dress shopping!"

"Say what now?" Stephen demanded.

Chris hadn't stuttered, and every remaining team found themselves in a lovely little shop filled with dresses of all fits and sizes. One member of each pair would have to fit and size a dress while the other handed out compliments. The only issue with this was that neither Liam nor Stephen was willing to hop into one.

"NO WAY!" Liam shouted, shoving the tiny French lady who was trying to take his measurements away.

"I am not wearing a dress!" Stephen retorted before shoving her back at Liam.

"I'm with you two, I do not do dresses," Nadie agreed with a disgusted motion of her hands.

"Oh come on! You're the girl here," Louise protested, earning a glare from Nadie.

"I. Do not. Wear. Dresses," Nadie growled back while looming over Louise.

"Well I'm not wearing one!" Louise exclaimed in response.

"Oh yes you are!" Nadie shouted back.

"ARM WRESTLE FOR IT!" Louise ordered while planting his arm squarely on a coffee table. Nadie responded by extending her arms and stretching her fingers with an experienced crack.

Renee had decided to take the dress portion of the challenge seeing as Roxie had to go through that back in Greece. A slender French woman took all her measurements and vanished into the back, drawing out a rack of perfectly sized dresses that ranged in colour and design. There were cocktail dresses, full gowns, and ones with slits along the legs. Some needed heels, others would pair with sandals, and more would crush her waist and make the evening uncomfortable.

The flower shop had been fun so Renee decided then and there she wanted to continue that trend. She ran her fingers along the dresses before pulling one off the rack and slipping into it. Minutes later she was walking out front in it. It was a cocktail dress coloured red and the second Roxie saw it she began complimenting it and asking if it was the one Renee was going with.

"Not exactly…" Renee trailed.

What followed could only be described as a fashion show. Renee would emerge from the back room in a new dress and Roxie would either burst out laughing or genuinely compliment it. A blue ball gown, a bright yellow dress with a see-through skirt, a sleeved gray dress that left everything up to the imagination, one with a corset so tight Renee actually cringed in pain when she started laughing, another with so many frills she couldn't walk, and one so skimpy Roxie covered her eyes like she was being indecent. It wasn't until Renee emerged in a deep ruby coloured dress that Roxie actually gasped in shock.

It was a long gown accompanied by heels high enough to make Renee stand at roughly Roxie's height. It had a single strap over the left shoulder and was relatively solid and free of designs. It was a clean cut garment with no sleeves that swayed back and forth with Renee's childish movements.

"How do I look?" Renee asked with a broad grin spreading over her face.

"You look amazing!" Roxie gasped in amazement.

"Hah, not as amazing as you looked the other night," Renee smirked, causing Roxie to blush hard at the compliment.

Unfortunately not everyone was getting along as well as Roxie and Renee. Elsa and Diane for instance were in the midst of a meltdown on Elsa's part.

"You call this your best, these look like garbage!" Elsa shouted as she motioned towards the dresses lain out in front of her.

"They look nice to me," Diane admitted while gazing at the garments. Every piece of clothing she owned had been handed down from her older sisters. She'd never seen such gorgeous dresses in her life, unfortunately Elsa didn't seem to agree with her.

"What would my parents say if they saw me in substandard attire," Elsa complained with a motion towards herself.

"If it's too hard to decide maybe I could wear the dress," Diane suggested with a half-smile that was instantly met with venomous outrage.

"YOU? WEAR A DRESS?! Hah! With that boyish figure you'll be lucky to attract a lesbian," Elsa chuckled while Diane looked downwards with a frown.

Nearby the curtains opened to reveal one of The Outrageous Orca sporting a lovely pink dress from the plus size collection. It barely fit the player's upper body and simply hung loosely around their legs. They stepped out fuming and marched up to their partner with a scowl. That partner burst out laughing and slapped them on the back.

"Looking good Louise," Nadie chuckled while wiping a tear from her eye. Louise just growled and walked past, rotating his sore shoulder to try and alleviate some of the pain he was feeling.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I have a feeling Nadie's too straightforward to manipulate," Louise growled while rubbing his shoulder. "This team swap could really throw a wrench into my plans. Besides she might still have suspicions about my letters…"

* * *

The loser of the dress portion wasn't much of a contest, no matter how picky some players were or how much they fought at least every team had put on a dress, all except the team composed of Liam and Stephen. Both boys were out of the challenge pretty fast and left the remaining pairs to partake in suit shopping. For the most part things retained the same air as they had in the previous room. Renee sat down in her dress and waited for Roxie to emerge in a fine suit while Kiara rolled her eyes when Jason asked if he could get one without sleeves.

One area where things were the same was with Diane and Elsa. Elsa was once again having a meltdown and controlling the entire thing, demanding that the suit Diane was slipped into be perfect, else it ruin her night.

"You're not even wearing it. Just let me enjoy wearing expensive clothes," Diane growled through grit teeth after Elsa began complaining about the colour of the suit, demanding charcoal instead of ink black.

"If you're in the wrong colour we'll clash," Elsa explained with a huff. "Mother and father always made sure my dresses matched their outfits when we went out. I go to school dressed solely in grays so I look good no matter who surrounds me. I know what I'm talking about."

"Spoiled brat," Diane muttered under through her teeth.

"What did you just call me?" Elsa demanded with a jab at herself. "Unlike your parents, my parents decided to have a solitary child and devote their attention to her. Don't go around calling me names because your parents didn't plan ahead."

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Oh my parents planned ahead," Diane explains while staring directly at the camera with half closed eyes. "They literally had to sign paperwork for all seven of their children..."

* * *

While Nadie showed her suit off to Louise, Trevor found himself being fitted in the room over. Olga was waiting for him and gave a slow clap as soon as he emerged in a prim and proper suit. It was no mystery to him that he could pull off formal attire. If anyone thought he looked good in a suit they would go nuts if they saw him in uniform

"Looking sharp there Trevor," Olga grinned while Trevor looked down in embarrassment, something that didn't go unnoticed by Olga. "Something wrong?"

"I just… could we maybe tone down the compliments, I'm kind of seeing Wilma," Trevor admitted while rotating his arms around one another.

"Well, we're kind of in a challenge," Olga replied in a matter of fact tone. "Besides you look hot!"

Trevor blushed heavily the second those words emerged from Olga's mouth. She began laughing in response and quickly slapped her knee in a jovial manner.

"What's with the face, I think you're hot in a fireman calendar sort of way," Olga chuckled while leaning on her seat. "Besides, have you even seen Wilma? She's not exactly a clingy girl, I bet you she demands intimate details of our time together before talking about how steamy her date was."

"Can we please not talk about that," Trevor muttered through grit teeth. "You're not supposed to flirt when you're in a relationship. You do not flirt with someone of the opposite gender, you do not go on a date with someone else, and you definitely do not talk about how attractive someone else is."

"You are dating the wrong girl then my friend," Olga chuckled while planting her hand onto her chin and smirking at Trevor. "Take a seat Trevor…"

Trevor gave a deep sigh before walking over to Olga and taking a seat on the couch next to her.

"I take it I'm not the only one who's noticed how different you two are…" Olga trailed.

"Of course not!" Trevor exclaimed before bursting into a sigh and clutching his forehead in annoyance. "I've somehow strung myself to a girl who doesn't seem to understand what dating means. She's wild, reckless, and has a complete disregard for the rules. I hear her talk about how handsome other guys are, she dresses like some kind of ruffian, and thinks I want to move to a third world country just for the experience!"

"She's a wild one alright," Olga chuckled before looking at Trevor with a knowing smirk on her face. "And yet she's latched herself onto a guy who's so regimented that he gets grumpy when assigned work past his bedtime."

"I need seven hours of sleep to function properly," Trevor retorted while clenching his fist tightly.

"And she's never once slept the same amount of time since getting here," Olga mused while glancing at Trevor with a grin. "I guess we know who's going to be making her breakfast in bed every morning…"

"Huh?" Trevor asked with a blink and glance at Olga. She started laughing again and gave an elongated sigh of enjoyment.

"You were thinking of calling it off weren't you," Olga grinned.

"A gentleman does not break a lady's heart," Trevor announced with a cross of his heart.

"Oh yeah, you're definitely a keeper," Olga chuckled before reaching over and touching Trevor's shoulder. "She's a wildcard, you're a regimented rule follower content to march in step. You'd think two people like you wouldn't go together but you'd be surprised by just how compatible you actually are."

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"Trevor needs a girl who isn't going to stick to his plans," Olga admits while planting her hands on her hips. "He can put up as many fences as he wants but that girl will just find a way around them. She won't go to bed when he goes to bed, she'll demand impromptu trips to Europe, and derail his plans for the evening. He needs that randomness or he'll slip into malaise. She likewise needs someone to add some degree or normality to her life. Trevor will have a stable job and be a sturdy rock to support her through all the changes she wants to go through. It opens up opportunities for her to take risks that won't always pay off. It's funny, they're exactly like my parents…"

* * *

Everyone had been suited up when Chris announced the results of the round. He pointed at Diane and Elsa before jabbing his thumb at the door without even looking at them. Fury erupted on Elsa's face and she stormed out, blaming Diane for all the shortcomings of the evening while she clutched the hem of the gorgeous dress. The reason they'd lost had been clear enough, Elsa's bridezilla attitude had effectively shut down communication between the duo.

The next portion of the challenge sat outside in the form of eight vehicles ready to take the teams to dinner. Helden and Jason began fighting over the stretch limo while Nadie marched to the shady looking cab without even giving the other vehicles a glance. Phoebe and Raina followed suit and took the far less shady looking cab while Roxie and Renee got into a small black car. Yvonne and Lara managed to snag the regular limo while Wilma and Lucile hopped into small blue vehicle. Jason eventually won his bout with Helden and escorted his lady into the limo with a massive grin on his face. Kiara continued to be unresponsive as she climbed into the vehicle and shifted to the far end of the seat.

Jason wasn't about to be separated from her and quickly slid over to join her, sliding himself over until they were crammed up against the door. His arm over her shoulder and her arms crossed and eyes averted.

"You look gorgeous babe," Jason announced with a sniff that Kiara rolled her eyes at. "Well, not as gorgeous as me. I'm just perfect, bet you're distraught this suit covers my biceps, I can tell you love them. If you were curious they're named Glenda and Jackie. Glenda is the stronger of the two but Jackie is an absolute angel. Take your pick, which gal do you wanna be clinging onto tonight? I can sense a connection between you and Jackie, I totally can…"

Jason's bragging was only unique to the car he was travelling in, as Nadie and Louise couldn't have been quieter as they rode in the back of a grimy cab that smelled of aged cheddar. As if making Louise wear a dress wasn't enough of an indicator of Nadie's lack of femininity she had decided to place her feet up on the seat in front of her like a bratty child and was in the process of picking her nose and avoiding eye contact with Louise. She kept scratching herself and sucking back snot like a dude and Louise couldn't help but see this as overcompensating.

It was clear to him that Nadie was putting on a front. It was all in her posture, the way she walked, and her diary entries. Louise knew she'd been raised to be the girl of the family. Her brothers got to be rough and tumble while her parents expected her to be ladylike. She was clearly a dancer of some calibre, knew how to walk in dresses, and definitely had a clique of girls she hung around during the schoolyear. This was evident by some of the more gossipy portions of her personality, often delegated to sideways comments about how handsome a guy was or how annoying one of the girls was being. She was the one to squish spiders or beat up ex boyfriends if they stepped out of line, but that wasn't really important to Louise, he only cared about how she would vote. He'd known where Yvonne stood when it came to elimination ceremonies, but Nadie was a wildcard.

"So…" Louise trailed, grabbing his teammate's attention with his elongated o. "Perhaps you'd like to know how we're planning to vote next time we lose."

"I really don't care," Nadie responded in a tone of disinterest. "Raina might be behind those letters Liam and I received so she has my vote no matter how your pathetic team's divided itself."

"Fantastic," Louise growled through grit teeth.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"If we lose Raina, I lose Phoebe, so I have to get Nadie out of here before Phoebe realizes she can align herself with her," Louise explains with a cross of his arms and a sigh. "The difficult part is making up a reason for eliminating a relatively strong player from the team."

* * *

"Keep your hands on your side of the car," Phoebe ordered the second Raina's hand fell on the middle seat. Raina instantly bit her lip and drew her hands close together while they rumbled along to some unknown destination. It was clear Phoebe was livid about the seating arrangements, something that wouldn't have occurred before the entire lying fiasco had been revealed. The two of them probably would have been discussing things about the game, their home lives, and random ideas that came into their minds, but Phoebe didn't seem interested in wasting the oxygen.

"We'll lose the challenge if we keep being unfriendly to one another," Raina pointed out.

"I don't want to win the challenge," Phoebe replied in a huff. "The longer you stick around the more people seem to forget what you did."

"I screwed up, lied to you, eliminated people who found out my secret, and then lied to try and fix things," Raina sighed while rubbing her arm. "Had Zilka not gone completely off the rails I'd be home right now."

"You can stop talking now," Phoebe ordered the second things were out of Raina's mouth. Raina pursed her lips in a rare moment of anger and looked up at Phoebe with a snarl on her lips.

"NO!" Raina shouted, causing Phoebe to whirl around and glare at her. "I'm done just being fine with you being angry at me. I screwed up and made you feel like our friendship didn't matter. I'm trying to mend what I broke but you're just unreceptive to everything!"

"Gee, I wonder why," Phoebe retorted while glaring out the window. "Here's the deal, Louise and I will be eliminating you at the first chance we get, you'll set sail into that vast wide ocean, and I'll be happy for the first time in weeks."

"He's playing you Phoebe," Raina responded with a cross of her arms.

"Evidently I trust him more than you," Phoebe retorted with a huff.

"Fine!" Raina exclaimed while crossing her arms and looking out the window with a newfound scowl. After a few seconds of staring at her own reflection her face fell into a look of sadness and she gave a defeated sigh.

* * *

Only seven of the eight vehicles pulled up to a restaurant, Phoebe and Raina's car had been diverted elsewhere, indicating their elimination from the challenge. Chris and Chef watched carefully as players got out of the vehicles. Bonus points were handed to those players that helped the lady in dress out of the car. Players like Jason, Helden, and Roxie received high scores for this portion while Nadie was graded negatively for leaving Louise to haul himself out of the dingy cab they'd arrived in.

The restaurant had seven reserved tables ready for the players, and each pair was judged based on how they sat down. Once again Jason, Helden, and Roxie received bonus points for pulling out their partner's chair and sitting politely opposite them. Scores were tallied and it became abundantly clear what this portion was about, the conversations that took place before orders were made and drinks served.

"There are like three options on this menu," Natalie commented as she stared at the food listings in front of her. Soup or salad was the first course, then an entrée would come second, before they finally got a dessert.

"Oh yes, the fancier the place of the dinner the less options there are to be taking," Helden responded with a nod of his head. "I am recommending the dish of duck."

"Yeah, yeah whatever," Natalie responded with a wave of her hand while she scoured the menu for something she recognized. The entire restaurant was way out of her budget and she had a feeling that portion sizes weren't going to be glamourous. Helden kept talking about the dishes as though he had intimate knowledge of how they'd been prepared, probably because he grew up eating weird ingredients. He definitely sounded like the type of person to live in a hay topped home in a mountain village where they still believed in witches and worshipped some kind of horrible monarchy. In other words he seemed like a peasant to her, a peasant she had to pretend to show interest in or risk losing the vote of.

The judges definitely interpreted the scene as Helden explaining dishes to Natalie so they gave the couple pretty good marks. On the other hand they turned their heads to come face to face with Yvonne and Lara. The duo had been receiving pretty shaky scores so far and were definitely one of the duos the judges were thinking of eliminating. This wasn't helped by how tyrannical Lara was acting.

The girl was in a suit and swirling her glass of water in her hand. She was seated in a powerful manner and was staring at Yvonne so much the girl couldn't help but swallow nervously

She'd decked herself out in a pleasant green dress without too many distracting bits attached. Her hair had come in enough to drown out the colour of her skin on her head, giving her a rough buzz cut that was a farcry from the lovely locks she'd sported when she'd arrived. She held herself awkwardly, somewhat intimidated by Lara's overconfidence.

"We departed on pretty sour terms didn't we," Lara mused while placing her cup down and folding her hands on the table. "I'm going to be rather blunt with you and give you the lowdown on the current team status. Kiara, Renee, and Roxanne are partnered on one side of this team while Jason, Brad, Bebe, and I are on the other. Now, should you choose to align with my opposition you will at best draw a tiebreaker and at worst find Kiara and Renee at one another's throats after last night's vote. I despise sucking up to a slob like Bradley, so I'm offering you a deal, side with me and I'll forgive your past insubordinance and give you Brad's position in my alliance."

"You think I'm going to side with you?" Yvonne asked with a laugh and a folding of her own hands. "Just because you overcame one elimination doesn't mean people have forgotten what you did to our last team."

"I desire a strong team," Lara admitted with a shrug. "You should feel honoured that I consider you to be a strong and worthy player. Do you really think I enjoy stringing Bebe along as my sole confidant?"

"You only have her because of your fearmongering," Yvonne sneered in response while picking up her own glass. "Besides, if we pull a tiebreaker, anyone left in this game could beat Bebe, your argument is weak."

"We'll see how you feel when you finally start to strategize with those fools," Lara responded while picking up her own glass.

Both girls glared heavily at one another until a waiter arrived at the table and began clearing it. Both girls blinked as bus boys pulled their chairs out and began escorting them to the door. The glasses were taken from their hands and they were thrust outside while the table was reset and a new couple was issued in to take their place.

The remaining six teams watched this occur with pursed lips and whispers about how everything had gone down. They all chattered as the soup and salad course arrived and was presented to each player.

Upon seeing the portion size Renee burst out laughing. She dipped her tablespoon into her soup and it hit the bottom before even a third of the spoon had entered the broth. Roxie chuckled in response and stared at the mess of a salad before her, getting flashbacks to her dinner with Yestin Orville as she looked.

"This has to be a joke right?" Renee smirked as she swirled her soup around to mix in a strangely placed glob of sour cream that had been garnished with some cilantro.

"I thought Caesar salad came with bacon," Roxie admitted as she prodded her salad with her fork.

"We've gotten so fancy we've advanced past bacon," Renee gasped in response, earning a pout from her partner.

"It's never too fancy for bacon," Roxie muttered as her fork made contact with the greens of her dish.

"Well then, I must say we should refrain from dining in such establishments in the future," Renee announced while putting on a mock English accent that made Roxie start to laugh. Renee held up a glass for cheers and Roxie quickly returned the gesture with a glass clink of her own.

While the duo joked around about their meal Wilma and Lucile sat in dead silence, trying their best to enjoy the appetizer course. Wilma had already downed her own soup and Lucile was stirring her own around in an endless fashion, not really digging the creamy texture it offered.

The two got along fine but that was about it. Neither girl was especially talkative because they didn't exactly have much to talk about. They'd made other friends on the team and any conversation that started up was quickly replaced with silence so thick it could be cut with a knife.

Their conversation was at least better than Kiara and Jason's. Jason was taking the reins and talking nonstop about himself. He bragged about his muscles, many ex-girlfriends, and perfect score in every single game involving a sport. His date simply shoved salad in her mouth, hoping that the judges would boot them out for her disinterest in the man before her. She was running out of food though, and that was causing Jason to become emboldened and talk about himself even more.

Trevor and Olga had continued their discussion about Wilma, Nadie and Louise were exchanging venom laced banter, and Helden and Natalie were flirting back and forth like they were deeply in love. Chris and Chef waiting until every player was done with their appetizer to decide the losers. That couple happed to be Wilma and Lucile, and the duo were escorted from the restaurant seconds later while their table was cleaned up and reset. The remaining five teams were at a point now where they couldn't just survive off bare minimum effort, they seriously had to try or risk getting eliminated because one team happened to be better than they were.

Entrees arrived shortly after Wilma and Lucile left, they consisted of oven roasted beef served with asparagus and potatoes, freshly prepared duck lain atop a vegetable medley, and pan seared salmon topped with lemon and served alongside risotto that had been mixed with garlic and other herbs. The portion sizes were still small with a heavy emphasis on plating. The meats themselves were more intent on being cooked properly than actually being seasoned. This was surprising to a few players but pleasant to the rest. The cooking in the restaurant put even first class' food to shame.

"Would you have chosen to eat at a place like this?" Olga asked while she pointed her fork at Trevor. The boy was seriously enjoying his beef and she'd decided to use the time to talk to him about Wilma. "She's going to drag you to all sorts of places that are alien at first."

"This is good, but what if it sucked?" Trevor retorted while he sawed his beef in half with a knife.

"Well, then you know for sure. Something is only out of the ordinary once, and if you have a gal like Wilma around you'll always be expanding that comfort zone," Olga explained while leaning on the table. "You on the other hand will have enough common sense to keep her from eating street meat. I'm telling you, just tell her what you're really like and work it out from there. If you just keep bottling in who you really you're going to end up breaking her heart."

"Why are you so concerned anyway?" Trevor asked with a frown.

"Dude, we were teammates for most of the competition, and if we're going to keep being teammates I may as well make sure you're at the top of your game," Olga explained with a smile spreading over her face.

"I take it you want me as an ally" Trevor mused with a scratch of his chin.

"If you ask me there are a number of people on this team that don't deserve trust," Olga admitted with a sigh. "This isn't The Sinister Sharks. Elsa's a gossip, Stephen's overprotective, and Natalie's main strength is her ability to lie. The reason I tell you to solve things with Wilma sooner than later is because if things go sour I have my doubts either of us will be here to watch you work up the courage."

"And she's on a team with Raina…" Trevor muttered with a downwards glance.

"Make peace before it's too late," Olga repeated before she took a quick bite of her fish.

Neither Trevor nor Olga really had to worry about Raina, in reality the true threat to Wilma's safety was Louise. He'd determined that Nadie was nothing more than another obstacle he'd have to hurdle over in order to have his plan continue working. Just having her calmly enter an elimination was out of the question, he needed her mad at him, an anger he could twist and use to convince Phoebe with. In fact, he only needed three votes in order to take control of the team. Wilma, Lucile, and Nadie could scatter their votes while he easily convinced Raina that Nadie was threatening her. That threat might even spread to Wilma and he'd have an even greater portion of the team in his pocket. If things were following suit with their last set of eliminations they'd be merged when one team got small enough to warrant one. Three or four seemed reasonable, and he wanted that trio to be him, Phoebe, and Raina, with hopes that he'd be paired with Phoebe again and have a solid ally to work with going into the next portion of the game, at least until he got more.

Losing the challenge was the easy part. All it took was a slight shifting of the tablecloth and Nadie's poorly placed water glass was spilling ice cold water on her lap. She gasped in surprise while he let out a laugh. Her gaze hardened at his mocking chuckle and she quickly picked her bread up and hurled it right at his head. It bashed into him and he made sure to dramatically bump the table while the judges shook their heads in disappointment. The lack of romance up to that point and the sudden fighting was enough to have the duo cleared from their table minutes later. They were the last of The Outrageous Orca to depart the dining room which meant the pink team had just lost another challenge.

Relieved sighs escaped the remaining couples. No matter who won, no one from The Troublesome Turtles or The Nasty Narwhal would be heading home. The only person annoyed by the outcome was Kiara, who slumped backwards in annoyance while dessert was served. Crème Brulee was put in front of her while Jason received a brownie with ice cream on top.

As nice as the food, dress, and restaurant were, she couldn't help but wish she was experiencing it with Josh. Jason was flirting with her constantly but all his advances were meaningless and empty, nothing compared to the awkward half flirting Josh gave out, almost like he was embarrassed to say anything romantic. The overconfidence leaking from Jason felt scripted and rehearsed, almost like he was reciting the same things he'd say to other girls. He wasn't trying to figure her out, he was just expecting her to react to things he'd tried out before. She was just a prize to be won, not a friend to be courted.

Kiara glanced across the room at the other three couples still present in the challenge. Helden and Natalie were flirting back and forth with a lovey dovey look in their eyes. A rather strange romantic poem was gushing from Helden's mouth and yet he was receiving Natalie's due attention. She liked him enough to listen to everything he said no matter how strange it was

Not far away Roxie was snorting with laughter after something Renee had said. The two had been chuckling and having a blast all night, giving out compliments like they were disposable without crossing any boundaries. It was the type of date Kiara wished she was on, one where she could joke around, be herself, and not worry about sending the wrong messages. Even Trevor and Olga were having a great time despite the lack of flirting emerging from the duo.

"I can't believe you ordered Crème Brulee, that's like, the weirdest dessert ever," Jason laughed. His insult was like the straw that broke the camel's back, as seconds later Kiara hurled the dish right at his face, pushed her chair back, and stormed towards the door with a snarl imprinted on her face. Chris and Chef watched her go and scrawled on their clipboards as they shook their heads. Jason meanwhile, tried his best to clean Kiara's dessert off his face with a frown.

The entire interaction made Roxie and Renee exchange a look before glancing at the two couples remaining couples from The Nasty Narwhal. Both felt the pressure intensify and glanced at each other nervously.

The next portion of the evening took place in the outdoor gardens behind the restaurant, a small patio housed a few tables outside while couples wandered into the beautiful scenery often rented out for weddings. Natalie quickly dragged Helden off to go find the most romantic spot in the gardens while Trevor and Olga decided to wander through the hedges. Trevor walked with his hands in his pockets while Olga towered over him and stepped to and fro through the evening air.

The two of them just talked and wandered about the gardens, it was pretty much a continuation of their conversation from dinner. They discussed Wilma, Trevor's new team, and what it had been like being on a team with Lara. Olga was rather surprised to hear that Lara wasn't the worst part of the team as she quickly got an earful of what Jason was like to the girls and how Brad was utterly disgusting. She heard how things had gone down with Josh, a guy Trevor believed didn't deserve to go.

Trevor got first hand recounts of what players like Liam and Natalie were like and Olga gave pretty solid explanations of how the team had functioned in challenges. There was practically no leadership and from what he could gather, most of the wins rested on Olga's shoulders. She'd been the leader, strategizer, and main source of muscle for the team. Sure they looked imposing but they hadn't exactly worked as a solid unit. This description devolved into a conversation about how Raina had been able to plot out win after win, all done by utilizing the team to its fullest potential. It felt wrong to compliment someone who had manipulated the duo but they couldn't exactly lie about their feelings.

While Trevor and Olga wandered off and Helden and Natalie scoured the flowers, Roxie and Renee came to a halt near a fountain and stared at the water rippling before them and spraying in every direction.

"You know, this water probably hasn't been sanitized since it was poured in here," Roxie explained, earning a laugh and shaken head from Renee.

"How come we never hung out before this?" Renee asked as she watched the water dance.

"Probably because there were more people to worry about back then…" Roxie trailed as she stared into the fountain with a smile. "It's been through working that we've really gotten to know each other, we don't have to choose to hang out, we're kind of forced into it…"

"I guess there was less drama back on The Sharks anyway," Renee admitted while leaning against the fountain and looking back at Roxie. She looked just as good in a suit as she did in a dress, if this weren't a contest for a million dollars she might have considered pursuing something more than friends with the girl in front of her.

"I have a bad feeling about the future," Roxie sighed before leaning against the fountain next to Renee. "We blew it last night and now Lara might take control of the team."

"Ah, don't think like that," Renee responded with a wave of her hand. "If she starts bullying us I'll break her nose."

Roxie giggled in response before the two fell silent again and took to glancing at one another. Their gazes shifted up and down, taking in the appearance of the other. They looked so different cleaned up than they did wearing a uniform and scrubbing toilets.

"You look really nice in that dress," Roxie admitted after a few seconds.

"I know right, it's so weird," Renee replied while grabbing the skirt of the dress and swishing it from left to right. "I don't own anything this fancy."

"Wouldn't have guessed, you pull it off really well," Roxie admitted.

"Not as well as you pull off that suit," Renee responded in a flirtatious tone that made Roxie's face catch fire. She was suddenly remembering that Renee could be attracted to her. She didn't know how to respond with anything but a warm smile. She and Renee were incredibly close, her arm was behind Renee, Renee was inches from her body with that distance closing by the second, and she couldn't help but move in as well. She didn't know what was happening, she was getting to virus spreading levels of closeness and a warm blush was burning on her face. Their mouths drew closer and that heat intensified as her heart began to flutter and beat just as quickly as Renee's.

"Where are Trevor and Olga?!" Natalie demanded in an annoying tone as she entered the clearing with Helden and looked left and right for her teammates.

"Perhaps they are failing in the challenge," Helden responded with a gleeful smile. Natalie just blew hair out of her eyes and turned her head to see her only remaining competition sitting near the fountain.

Renee and Roxie were seated on the marble with light blushes adorning their faces and eyes closed tightly. Their lips were locked in a romantic kiss framed by the fountain behind them. Helden gave an adoring sigh at the mere sight of the couple while Natalie stared at the lock lipped Turtles. There wasn't any acting between them, their body language, stance, and soft kiss gave away that this had occurred naturally, that they'd decided to kiss one another in a moment of feverish passion. If there was anything more romantic than that Natalie would have to fake it.

"QUICK, KISS ME!" Natalie ordered while grabbing Helden's shirt and pulling him close.

"And we have our winners," Chris announced, prompting Renee and Roxie to cut their kiss short and turn red from the sudden realization of what they'd done.

"Helden will make this romantic," Helden announced as Chris walked up to Renee and Roxie to cement their victory.

"We already lost you-" Natalie started before Helden grabbed her and planted his lips against hers.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

Natalie dry heaves in the confessional for a few seconds before bursting into large spurt of panting. A few seconds pass before she dry heaves again.

* * *

 **The Nasty Narwhal**

* * *

"We would have won today if the judges weren't biased," Elsa ranted as she walked out of her bedroom with her personal items collected. They'd all been forced to strip their beds down and put on new sheets for those that were replacing them in first class, an action Elsa could only describe as demeaning. "The judges probably only let Renee and Roxie win because they could get social justice brownie points from showing a lesbian date."

"Weren't you paired with Diane?" Trevor asked the second the entire team had gathered.

"Well… SHUT UP!" Elsa ordered while pointing threateningly at Trevor. "I much preferred Nadie to your useless butt!"

Elsa then stormed away in anger, flinging open the door just in time to reveal The Troublesome Turtles, a team that would be entering first class for the first time that game. While the orange team filed in, Trevor leaned over to Olga and looked up at her with a knowing smirk.

"She didn't talk to Nadie much did she?" He mused.

"No, not at all," Olga responded as the two former Sinister Sharks made their way out the door with their bags packed. Trevor took this time to exchange high fives with his former team, at least to those that would hand them out.

"It was a pleasure," Trevor announced as he passed Kiara and stopped before Roxie and Renee. "But I guess I'm cursed, whatever team I'm on just won't get me first class passage."

"Ah you'll be back here tomorrow," Renee laughed with a wave of her hand. "Have you seen the size of Olga?"

Once he was past those two Trevor came to a halt right in front of Yvonne, the player that would be taking his spot on The Troublesome Turtles. He glanced at her once before looking over at Lara with pursed lips and annoyance written all over his face.

"I know you have more experience with her than I do, but be careful, she's managed to scrounge up an alliance again," Trevor warned.

"Don't worry about me," Yvonne responded while shouldering her bag. "I'd worry about Wilma, she's kind of drawn battle lines against Phoebe."

"Thanks," Trevor nodded before walking out the door after his new team and leaving his old one with the first class cabin.

"Oh how I've missed you," Kiara sighed as she gazed down the hallway to the sauna, pool, and massage therapy room.

"Good job on winning us first class," Yvonne smiled as she patted both Roxie and Renee on the shoulders.

"Must have been some convincing acting to beat out Helden and Natalie," Lara admitted.

"Yeah, acting," Renee chuckled while rubbing her arm.

"I didn't think Chris would even buy it," Roxie added with a laugh before everyone broke off to go unpack and enjoy the luxuries of first class passage. Renee and Roxie continued to chuckle for a few seconds before they made eye contact and blushed incredibly hard. Renee scratched the back of her head while Roxie looked at the floor in embarrassment. They then turned heel and walked in opposite directions, seeking out the bedrooms they'd been promised.

* * *

 **The Outrageous Orca**

* * *

"You promised!" Phoebe exclaimed the second Louise stopped talking.

"I know what I promised," Louise responded through grit teeth. "But I'm telling you, Nadie's planning to boot you from the team and she'll use Raina and Wilma to do it. We need to eliminate her before she has a chance to start convincing those two."

Phoebe gave off an enraged snarl and bashed her fist against the wall the second she realized she was locked into another elimination ceremony that Raina would survive.

"I feel your anger, but if it's just you and me, we can't survive a player like Nadie, let alone eliminate Raina," Louise sighed while gazing off the deck to the waters drifting past them. "We need another ally, and tonight is the night to find that player. I was making progress with Yvonne but-"

"I'll talk to Lucile," Phoebe responded while holding up her hand and letting out a deep sigh of understanding. "I guess you're right, with Wilma siding with Raina we can't exactly execute a solid plan."

"It's like you keep saying, people are forgetting what she did, we can't rely on malice anymore, we need a solid alliance to overpower those two, and that starts with making sure Nadie can't use her former alignment with Lucile to eliminate us," Louise explained.

"You guys seriously had alliances being built?" Phoebe asked in a muttering tone.

"Lucile likes Liam, Liam is aligned with Nadie. Trust me, whatever friendship you've built with that girl comes second to her alignment with Liam. We need to kick Nadie off before she can remind Lucile that she's allies with him," Louise explained before sighing deeply. "I'll talk to Wilma and see if I can convince her to turn against Raina. You talk to Lucile."

"Is this going to keep happening?" Phoebe asked with a sigh.

"I don't know," Louise admitted as he turned to look over the railing. "Raina will be easier to handle than Wilma but we could also get another swap occurring…"

"We're going to have to get rid of Wilma first, aren't we?" Phoebe groaned.

"From what I can gather people are still sour on Raina, Wilma however, could come back as a threat in the future and screw both of us," Louise admitted with a scratch of his chin. "The good news is that Raina is running out of players to hide behind. She'll get what's coming to her."

"You better be right," Phoebe muttered before turning and marching away with a growl lining her voice. Louise gave a little sniffle in response before turning around and following the railing. He passed through hallways, brushed past passengers, and eventually found himself on a freshly scrubbed deck with one of his teammates present on it.

Raina was busy mopping it down when Louise approached her from behind, it was clear she was certain she was going home that evening but Louise had other plans for the night. Raina's desire to make amends with Phoebe was a weakness he could exploit.

"Hey Raina, got a second?" Louise asked, suppressing a victorious smile as he spoke.

* * *

"You guys just can't catch a break can you?" Chris asked with a laugh. "I mean, The Putrid Plankton were bad but they only lost three of the first five elimination challenges, not four!"

"We're well aware of our losing streak Chris," Wilma responded in an annoyed tone.

"At this rate we won't even need another merge," Chris continued with an exceptionally joyous laugh while picking up his tray of mints. Only five glistened on the surface, something that made more than one player swallow in fear. None of the remaining six had been a member of The Plankton so seeing the number of safety symbols go down this fast was startling. Four votes as a team had done nothing to silence the uncertainty most players were feeling, sure Lloyd, Deek, and Zilka were easy eliminations but now Yvonne had been replaced by the complete wildcard that was Nadie. Fearmongering had definitely paid off as practically everyone was unsure on the girl's true intentions.

"The following players are safe," Chris announced while picking up the first mint. "Lucile…"

Lucile caught her mint before glancing over at Phoebe with pursed lips and hope that things were going as planned.

"Louise," Chris continued with a throw of the second mint at the boy. He caught it with a smile and glanced to his right at Phoebe with a mischievous smirk, hoping that Chris would hold up the final mint for the right duo. "Wilma…"

Wilma caught her own mint and frowned, unsure if she'd been played or not. A short pause came before Louise smiled broadly. The mere sound of Raina's name being called before Phoebe's filled him with joy. His vote had been cast for Phoebe in order to stir up her loyalty to him a little more.

"Ladies," Chris stated while glancing between Phoebe and Nadie. "Only one of you will advance into the final twenty two, and that person is…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

… Phoebe," Chris concluded while Nadie grew a shocked look on her face. She had no idea why she was being eliminated while the five remaining Outrageous Orca were convinced that she'd been targeting Phoebe due to Louise's stray vote.

"Oh, so I go from completely safe on The Nasty Narwhal to twenty third place just because of random chance?!" Nadie demanded in outrage.

"Well, you did end up on The Nasty Narwhal by random chance," Chris retorted, earning a roar of anger from Nadie. She quickly stood up and stormed over to the lifeboat of losers.

"This is outrageous, I wasn't even in danger on either of my prior teams," Nadie ranted as she climbed into the lifeboat with a scowl on her face. Her eyes turned towards all The Outrageous Orca and she grew a snarl that sent shivers down the spines of a few people. "I hope your lame team dies out!"

"How sweet," Chris commented before hitting the line. As this occurred Louise put on a dastardly grin and waved at Nadie. Her eyes went wide in response right before she was plunged into the ocean below and officially eliminated from the contest.

"Guess you were right about her," Phoebe muttered with a sideways glance.

"Hey, Raina tried to throw me under the bus too," Louise lied with a motion to himself. "You can trust me on this, we both want the exact same thing…"

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"This is almost too easy," Louise snickers while leaning on the confessional chair. "I'll throw the stick at Wilma or Lucile next, it's kind of hard to decide. Do I mess with Liam or do I mess with Trevor. One of their gals will have targeted the other and I can cause an imminent collapse of The Nasty Narwhal that should rocket Phoebe, Raina, and I into the next part of this game. Once there I can start working on a new alliance, one that's a little less brainy…"

* * *

 **The Troublesome Turtles**

* * *

Sometimes I get an itch that I need to scratch, that deep rooted desire that gnaws at you until you find a way to relieve it, pulsing under the skin and tormenting the soul when temptation is placed before your eyes. To be honest I never could resist something so sweet, the elated feeling you get when you've done something naughty, well more than naughty in this case.

She arrived late in the evening, wheeling a tray of desserts as she moved, the girl wasn't important, it was the food she brought with her. Savoury cakes, delicate pies, and sugars coated in creams and fresh fruits. She left thinking no one was around, but I was around, and I was hungry.

Why would I resist such persistent cravings, egging me on to pick up every tart, ingest every slice of cake, and lick up the remnants of frosting. I didn't just like desserts, I loved desserts, I needed desserts. The doctors always said that if I ate any more sugar my blood would turn to molasses, but do I listen? Why would I? If I had to choose between the sweet tang of chocolate and my death I would cut my own heart out in exchange for a single chocolate bar. Cocoa melting in my mouth, fruits dripping down my lips and leaving streams of sticky fluid to dribble on my shirts, and pies, oh so many pies.

I raise those serving knives and break the skin of those delectable treats. I know it's wrong, but I gives me such a lucrative rush. To see a single slice rise from the rest of its body and drip its sticky fluids onto the metallic ring that keeps it in shape. I have no time to wipe my mouth, clean my fingers, or swallow. I must keep eating, eating before the others get back and catch me in the act. I'm sloppy, I leave fingerprints on the tablecloth, crumbs on the ground, and splatters of bright red pie filling everywhere. The knife rises and falls over and over again, chopping off larger and larger slices until I can't physically wait. I pick up the entire things and cram them into my mouth.

Crumbs scatter about my feet and filling drips down my shirt in a slow moving cascade of fillings. I lick my fingers and chomp down on the chocolates, crush the cake into tight balls so I can consume them faster, and bash the plates aside as they get in my way. I throw the bones of what I've devoured behind me and trample the remains under my shoes. My entire face is coated in whipped creams and frosting with a smear of chocolate around my nose. Evidence for my feast falls all around me but I can't be bothered to care. I get sticky fingerprints all over the counters, stove, and floor but can't stop. I consume and consume and consume until I pause and stare at it, the crème de la crème of the entire feast, Crème Brulee.

The soft crème, the bed of sugar, and the texture that sets your entire mouth alight with fluffy goodness. Forget the pies, cakes, and brownies. The innocent and pure dessert is the loveliest of all.

My fingers close around it, one by one they choke out any remaining hope that it shall escape. I drag it towards me with drool saturated with the sugars of my previous victims cascading from my lips. I open my mouth wide, prepared to eat, but I hear something, no, someone. I let my prize go and slink off into the night, leaving behind a mess of a kitchen surrounding the one thing I prized above all else, my Crème Brulee.

I need that Crème Brule, if I can't have it then no one can. It's the jewel of the crown and anyone who stands between me and it shall know the same sense of loss I feel every time my taste buds recall its sweet flavour. My hand shoots out and knocks the dish to the ground. It splatters everywhere, breaking my heart as it goes. I slink into hiding and watch as the woman comes in, shocked to see what she's found. I glare at her, angry that she dare ruin my feast. She will pay, she'll know true suffering.

I take that knife, yes that dastardly knife I threw aside because it was too small, and I approach her abode, her hidden alcove where she keeps her things. I draw that knife up and open her closet, digging into her bag and jamming my blade into it over and over again. Frosting, pie filling, and chocolate comes dislodged, evidence of my crimes decorating her possessions, connecting the crime to her, not me, her!

I slink away after that, content to clean myself up and never again let someone else get between me and my crème brulee.

My delicious, delicious, crème brulee.


	20. Crème Brûlée

**Total Drama Ocean Cruise**

 **Chapter XX:** **Crème Brûlée**

 **Written by The Firebending Frog**

* * *

My name is Roxanne Evelynn Riches, I'm sixteen years old, love a clean and tidy bedroom, and am currently work on a cruise ship as part of my tenure on Total Drama, a contest for a million dollars that puts me through pain and humiliation on a daily basis. I've already outlasted eighteen other competitors, and in typical Total Drama fashion this means there are a lot less places to hide when the finger is pointed in your direction.

I've never been outright terrible in a challenge, unless that challenge included disturbing amounts of filth, but this game is about much more than challenges. After we slog through the mud and degrade ourselves we're faced with endless work and staff evaluations, when those come in we either get a bonus or a penalty in the next challenge. Today we got the penalty and according to the evaluation forms I placed lower than Bebe.

Who's Bebe you ask? The answer is a klutz that leaves a trail of disaster wherever she goes. I, on the other hand, leave behind pristine cabins and receive perfect scores… for the ones I get to at least. These scores don't deter the angry finger of Lara, she's a sinister woman vying for control of the team, standing only one player short of it.

She and her alliance are deadest on my elimination, but I know I have a chance to clear my name. It's four in the afternoon and elimination takes place at sunset, which falls at approximately ten in the evening. Lara's alliance will instantly shift their vote off me if I can discover the identity of _The Snacker_.

At approximately seven in the evening last night, Bebe entered the kitchen to discover our array of desserts had been savagely devoured by an unknown assailant. If I can find the identity of this sinister snacker I will spared from elimination and be one step closer to the million dollars waiting at the end of this cruiseline. My name is Roxanne, and I have a crime to solve.

* * *

 **4:15 PM**

* * *

To solve a crime you must first find out if there are any witnesses, thankfully a witness had already revealed herself, and that Witness was Belinda Brianne Edwards, street name Bebe. She was your standard high school student in a phase where she thought dying her hair was cool. Clearly she did not know the adverse side effects to bleaching out your natural tones. She isn't the sharpest tool in the shed but was definitely far enough from stupid that I had my suspicions. But a good detective doesn't simply shoot out accusations, you need evidence, and evidence is something I'm familiar with. I do want to be a forensics expert, you know the people that sweep the crime scene for blood, hair, and… well you know…

"Oh it was terrible," Belinda admitted while running a hand through her pink home cut hair. "I walked back into the room, turned the lights on, and was greeted with what looked like a disaster area. There was icing all over the walls, chocolate stained into the tablecloths, and no food left to speak of. Actually that isn't true, there was a ton of food left, but it was all squished and drooled on. Whoever ate that dessert tray was a complete slob about it and ruined so much perfectly good food. In fact, I'm shocked we didn't find out who was behind it right away, they must have been dripping with pie filling!"

"And what were you doing before you entered the room?" I asked, and perhaps Belinda would have responded with her alibi if she hadn't been cut off by a quick chortle from the other occupant of the room, the very person who had sworn to eliminate me that evening, Lara, spelled without a U and suffering for it.

"You're wasting your time," She announced from her seat with venom lining her voice. She has a disdain for me, so this venomous tone wasn't at all out of place. She's annoyed by my insistence of cleaning things perfectly and chastises me for the smallest flaws that emerge at the same time. Now Lara was interfering with my investigation and I decided then and there that this was a point worth investigating.

"And who do you propose ate our desserts?" I demanded while pointing my pen at her. She just gave a laugh in response and folded her arms across her chest.

"Darling, you aren't going to find the culprit in time to save your sorry butt from that lifeboat, but perhaps I'll humour you," She grinned before sliding her body off the counter. I was happy with this motion seeing as food was prepared there. "If you ask me Yvonne would be my first suspect, sure Bebe is a klutz but none of that food was fallen into. Every time we entered first class as The Plankton someone would steal all the chocolate bars from the minibars. A bunch of desserts were eaten only when Yvonne was around, probably one of those hidden cravings that tabloids love to prey on."

I didn't like Lara, I didn't trust Lara, and my interview with Belinda had been cut short by her mere presence. But Lara isn't a puppet master kind of player, she flat out tells you what her plans are and won't deviate from them for any reason. If she says something about Yvonne it's at the very least a credible source, even if it is laced with insults.

"But let's not kid ourselves, you'll be distracted by a crooked picture before you even get close to her," Lara chuckled while seating herself back on the counter, a motion that made me cringe a little.

* * *

 **4:35 Pm**

* * *

Yvonne. Beautiful, Brunette, and currently bald. She's a six time award winning child actress whose career has seen better days. Of course, her response was denial, which was expected, but a good detective knows how to figure out if said denial is fake by asking a series of probing questions that entice the interviewee to talk about themselves. So I asked what was up with her chocolate addiction. Instant panic filled her voice and she quickly clutched onto my shirt and dragged me away into a broom closet.

"I couldn't have possibly eaten all that food," She admitted the second we were alone. "I know you probably weren't paying attention, but I was the first Outrageous Orca to drop out of the pizza eating challenge back in Italy."

"So your excuse is that you don't have the stomach," I muttered suspiciously.

"There's only one thing I can eat constantly, and that's Norfield Chocolate. It's the best chocolate in the world and happens to be one of Total Dramas sponsors," Yvonne explained while staring at the door. "Pie? Brownies? Cake? Crème Brûlée? Yuck I say. It lacks that wonderful taste I've fallen in love with. Even someone as vile as Lara knows that desserts of that sort are disgusting, she said so herself while looking at the menus last night!"

"And this excuses you how?" I asked curiously.

"Well, I don't have a big stomach, and if were to be the culprit there wouldn't be any chocolate smeared on the tablecloth. I'd just sneak in, steal the bars, and sneak out, just like I did whenever The Plankton won," Yvonne explained with a motion to herself. "Whomever made this mess had a big stomach, big enough to down multiple pies, trays of brownies, and mounds of cake, but not picky enough to savour every morsel of that delicious, delicious Norfield chocolate."

Yvonne gave a defeated sigh while I nodded and scrawled a few notes out on my notepad. Yvonne had in fact been behind the chocolate theft on The Plankton, but Lara had mentioned she only ever touched the chocolate. This combined with her meager appetite spelled innocence, this did however raise a few suspects from the eating challenge, only problem there was that we'd had an extra piece of pie and several people had been swapping slices. I needed information from the one teammate I could trust for certain.

* * *

 **5:05 PM**

* * *

"The pizza eating challenge?" Trevor asked while lifting the sunglasses off his face. He and the rest of The Nasty Narwhal had taken to the deck to enjoy some nice and relaxing rays of sunshine. "That was a few days ago."

"Can you remember anything, anything at all?" I asked with a desperate air to my voice. "Lara's threatening to boot me if I don't solve this mystery."

Trevor let out a long and low sigh the second he heard this. I knew I could count on him to help me, we'd outlasted seventeen contestants as a team and he'd been at least friendly with me the whole time. I could tell that if we made it onto another team together we'd be allies for sure.

"I can't remember the exact order we dropped out, but Lara, Jason, Brad, and I were the finalists in that challenge," Trevor explained before glancing at me with pursed lips and a curious flicker in his eyes. "Actually I'm surprised you haven't approached Brad yet, that slob would have been my prime suspect. Big stomach, love of sweets, and a severe lack of bathing, you'll definitely find evidence on him. That'll finish your investigation before it even starts."

"First rule of mystery solving, it's never your first suspect," I replied dramatically while recalling every cop show I'd seen and detective novel I'd read. There was always an obvious suspect that turned out to be a red herring, but perhaps Trevor had a point, this wasn't exactly fiction…

* * *

 **5:47 PM**

* * *

Bradley was understandably my least favorite player left in the game. Proper hygiene is the best way to keep diseases at bay and Bradley is just a breeding ground for them. I probably would have been more revolted by his scent if that hippie hadn't been part of the game. He's been a turnoff ever since the game started and I cannot help but wonder how he even made it this far, especially after learning he doesn't wash his hands… ever.

However, Bradley did have one thing going for him that day, his scent was a lot cleaner than normal, a simple sweaty musk from a lack of deodorant. His filthy hair came out somewhat blonde, his skin was a lot paler than originally apparent, and his uniform was actually clean. The reasons for this were because he'd actually showered the night prior, an action that put immediate suspicion in my mind. Was Trevor perhaps correct about him?

I was sure he had some sort of excuse for me, and though he smelled better than normal I still didn't trust his hands, those things hadn't been washed since the shower and already showed signs of gaining a disgusting ecosystem of germs on them. I just needed answers, and my question was responded to with a lot a bawling and anger. Bradley was acting very upset that our desserts had been devoured by some fiend. This wasn't out of character, even if he was truly behind the crime. Bradley had been eating cakes, pies, and desserts nonstop when we had our merger challenge. If anyone would be upset by the ruined dessert tray it would be him.

"So why are you so clean?" I demanded the second he'd calmed down enough to be questioned.

"First class showers are amazing," Bradley responded with a small laugh. "I always bathe when we win it, the water is so smooth and relaxing, not like those loser class showers with cold water and other dudes capable of seeing your privates."

"It's a little suspicious though," I admitted while narrowing my eyes at the slob. "Perhaps you were showering to get rid of the evidence, cleaning yourself off so we couldn't blame you for our eaten desserts."

"Did I bathe after the merger challenge?" Bradley asked with lowered eyes.

"I'm not sure," I responded with a sickening realization washing over me, perhaps Bradley was telling the truth.

"There's your evidence, similar situation, different outcomes," he explained with a chuckle. "Besides, I was pawning off all my pizza to Lara and Jason, if you want to know who has a big gut you should be asking one of those two."

"Oh, I will," I replied before turning away and walking out of the room. I knew Lara would be no help so there was only one person to turn to.

* * *

 **6:40 PM**

* * *

After a meal composed of liquid cement and mold spores I approached Jason, He's a prime rib of a man with large muscles that could easily carry you anywhere you wish, dreamy eyes you could get lost in for hours, and perfect hair that is swished upwards by just the right amount of gel. Sometimes I can't help myself and get lost staring at his toned rear and rock hard abs. Oh yeah, being in his arms would be amazing, I feel a blush forming already. I'd be lying if I said I didn't sometimes respond to his flirtation, especially in that swimsuit, mmm, seeing all that rock hard musculature, he's like an anatomy book on display, you can trace every muscle with your finger. Um… anyway he's really annoying.

Sure he's the most perfect specimen of a human being I've ever seen but he has such an ego on him that it makes me want to hurl. As expected, getting any information from him that related to Bradley was impossible. Sure I was distracted by his tight shirt but he also couldn't be bothered to listen to me. He seems to believe that talking about how hot Kiara is will make me jealous… I mean yeah but… Yeah…

Okay, once I got past chewing on my pen and staring at muscles I got some pretty handy information. His bragging about Kiara actually turned out to be helpful simply because it reminded me of a solitary detail I had overlooked.

"She really turned the heat up at dessert, it was the hardest to get she's ever acted," Jason bragged while leaning on a wall, distracting me with the powerful limb he was pressing his weight onto. I just want him to hold me tight and… UGH!

"You two didn't get to eat your dessert did you?" I asked while trying to keep my eyes from wandering.

"Heck no, I just ordered that trash because there were no other options," Jason laughed while planting a hand on his hip. "After our date we had a post-date out on the balcony, and two bites of her crème brûlée had already gone to her hips… Not that I'm complaining, I like a girl with a fffffffiiiiine-"

"Crème brûlée …" I trailed while recalling what Bebe had discovered. A dish of crème brûlée had been thrown to the ground a smashed instead of eaten. It could only mean the culprit disliked the dish, not that it proved Jason's alibi or anything.

"-Aaaaaaasssssss," Jason hissed with a grin on his face.

"Thanks for your help," I smiled while looking up at Jason.

"Always willing to help a lady with your type of waist," Jason winked, causing my entire face to catch fire.

* * *

 **7:09 PM**

* * *

"Yeah, he was harassing me on the balcony," Kiara admitted while leaning against the railing of the ship. "The compliments are nice but he seems to think they'll buy my affection."

I was quite certain Kiara was innocent but wanted to check everything over just in case I had read her wrong. She's a nice girl with a good head on her shoulders, not the type to suddenly go crazy and start devouring an entire tray of desserts.

"Jason said you didn't finish your crème brûlée the other night," I pointed out while jabbing my pen at Kiara suspiciously. She gave an honest laugh in response, so sudden it made her snort for a second and cover her nose up in embarrassment. She managed to clear her throat and gave me a sweet smile in response while rolling her eyes at the memory of the previous night's date.

"Oh I love crème brûlée, only problem was that Jason was flirting with me after he kicked Josh off, I wasn't about to take that sitting down, no siree," Kiara explained with a wave of her hand and shake of her head. "I left that table because of him, if I'd seen that tray of desserts I would have gone for the crème brûlée, not tossed it to the ground in a disgusting heap. Plus I'd just finished dinner and it was pretty sizable too."

"Oh I hear you on that," I nodded, recalling my own date with Renee while she spoke. A gentle blush wrapped over my face as I recalled how the night had ended, with a sweet kiss that had emerged from seemingly nowhere. I still didn't know how to process it all but I knew one thing for certain, no matter how attractive Jason was I would have been annoyed with him if he'd stepped between Renee and I, and begun flirting with me. Kiara didn't sound irrational or unreasonable, in fact she sounded completely understandable and innocent to me. A small stomach, a hearty meal, and a believable alibi signalled to me that both she and Jason were innocent.

My heart wrenched a little as Kiara answered a few more questions for me. My biggest clue was that the person behind this crime was not a fan of crème brûlée, it was the litmus test I would be using to detect the true criminal. Unfortunately, it opened up the possibility that the girl I'd gotten intimate with could potentially be the crook I was after. That perhaps Renee's sweet lips had only tasted so because of an underlying addiction to sugary treats.

I knew she was a suspect for sure, and this was based solely around comments she had made while we were ordering our food. She'd flat out called the dessert a disgusting hodgepodge of creams and raw sugar. It hadn't just been a dislike she'd sported, rather a complete disdain towards the dish. I'd been avoiding her all day, mostly because of the awkward emotions bubbling beneath my skin, but I knew I couldn't hold off any longer, I needed to talk to Renee about the crime at hand.

* * *

 **7:42 PM**

* * *

I found her in the losing class cabins, seated in a corner and scrawling on the page before her with her lip caught between her teeth. I couldn't describe the look as anything but cute, a testimony I wouldn't have dared think before our encounter the night before. She was dressed in regular street clothes this time, having abandoned the glamourous dress she'd been wearing during our date. Her hair wasn't done up anymore and there wasn't a smattering of makeup on her face to embolden her features and bring out her eyes. Alas, she still radiated beauty.

I'd never gone for girls before, didn't even think I was capable of doing it. I still get lost in Jason's abs if that's any indication towards my confusion on the subject. Is this spur of the moment heat or a moment of self-discovery that my mother will tease me for the second I get home? I'm unsure how to react, in fact, I don't make a motion, I rather let my emotions cloud my mind much as they did around Jason, holding off my questioning until I regain my composure. I bite the end of my pen and stare at her, my brain turning all dreamy as I get lost in those beautiful red locks of hair with just the slightest of waves to them. Perhaps it's just my enamourment with artists, someone willing to sit down and dedicate hours upon hours of their time to the menial task of drawing something. Renee fits that bill perfectly and perhaps I'm only pursuing these feelings for that reason.

This thought process was what spurred me into action, if I was eliminated I wouldn't ever know what my feelings were for certain. I sucked in a deep breath and approached Renee, prepared for what I might not want to find out. No matter how hard I tried I could not shake the image of her bashing that dish of crème brûlée to the ground with a sinister smirk.

"Renee," I greeted and she looked up at the sound of my voice and smiled brightly.

"Hi," She responded while pulling her sketchbook towards her chest, unwilling to show anyone a single sketch that didn't meet her astronomically high standards.

"I'm currently investigating the dessert incident," I explained while clasping my hands close together. "I've collected alibis from most of the team but…"

"Oh… you need one from me…" Renee trailed with a tone of disappointment lining her voice, almost like she hoped I had appeared for other reasons. She then looked at her sketchbook and flipped a few pages back. I took note of how a few pages had been torn off and flung into the trash. She quickly turned the booklet around towards me and began flipping backwards. A very useful series of dates were present on all the sketches in black ink, so erasing them wouldn't work. The average per day was between two and four drawings, but I could tell she'd done more on the day in question. Those torn pages were all from this portion of the day, proven by a finished sketch before and after the group. It signified to me that Renee had been deep in an illustration frenzy when the entire ordeal had gone down.

"That'll do," I nodded before standing up and walking to the door. Renee stood up like she had something to say but caught herself before it could escape her mouth. Her eyes looked down and I walked towards the door, pausing in it. I glanced at the crumpled pieces of paper in the garbage can and wondered exactly how good the sketches were. Renee didn't speak up though, so I figured it would be awkward to loiter and exited the room.

All my clues were adding up, I couldn't waste time getting distracted by Renee, I had a million dollar contest that I had to survive through. I was looking for a player with a sweet tooth that hated crème brûlée, lacked a good alibi, and had a large enough stomach to cram all that food into. Every clue was pointing me at one player and it annoyed me to no end knowing I'd talked to her at the very start of my quest. The player I was looking for was none other than Lara herself. She could eat a lot of food, had been belligerent with me, and had pushed the blame onto someone else without telling me what she was up to during the alleged crime.

As I walked down the hall I heard her shrill voice calling for everyone on the team. I knew this was my chance to present my evidence. She'd messed with The Putrid Plankton and she'd mess with our team as well if we let her. This was my chance to take her and her little alliance down, finally freeing everyone from her harsh managerial skills and apparent slobby ways. If her attitude wasn't a good reason to boot her the sheer lack of cleanliness displayed while devouring that food cart was enough for me. All that sticky and sugary slop. It made me shudder to think of all that grime pressed into the carpets of first class.

The second I entered the room I found Lara throwing a bag onto the floor that had been unzipped to show it's innards to the world. Everyone in the room gasped in surprise upon seeing the contents. Clothes sat inside it, smeared with chocolate and frosting. Anyone who entered the room after me gave an equally shocked gasp while I narrowed my eyes at the person who had thrust the clothes into the room in the first place.

"I found our little dessert thief," She announced before hauling her catch to her feet. Clutched by the back of her shirt was Bebe, clearly in shock and very uncomfortable. While everyone else murmured and gave out accusatory shouts I stared at Lara in complete suspicion before my eyes darted to the clothes on the floor. No one else had made a move so I bent down myself and rummaged into the bag. I drew out a plain tank top, the type Bebe often wears in her off hours. It was her clothing alright, and it was also smeared with dried on chocolate and frosting.

Everyone else was buying the display in front of us, I however, noticed something off about the garments. The smears were in the same shape that's created when you clean off a knife. If I were to cut into a cake and then wipe it off with a cloth the result would be flat edged smears like the one I was seeing on the clothing, almost like someone had taken a knife and cleaned it off with the shirts, not quite the pigsty we were looking for.

"This has been tampered with," I announced, drawing the eyes of my teammates as I opened my mouth and rose to my feet. I quickly presented the shirt to my teammates and finished by showing it to Lara. "Isn't that right Lara?!"

"What?" Lara asked with a surprised blink.

"Where were you when we found the desserts?" I demanded with a point at my teammate.

"Nowhere," she replied with a roll of her eyes.

"The person who ate all those desserts had to have a strong stomach, and you were one of the last to drop out in Italy," I explained while letting the shirt drop back into the bag. "You also didn't get to eat last night because you were kicked from the challenge before any food could arrive, you also hate crème brûlée, something Yvonne told me you mentioned the second you saw the menu last night. But my final clue was your framing of Bebe, we all know you're obsessed with gaining a solid team with no weak player, and since you have a new alliance you're finally willing to cut your oldest ally."

"You're crazy," Lara told me before turning to the rest of our team. "She's crazy."

"Then what's your alibi?" I demanded while my teammates stared at her.

"Um…" She muttered while scratching the back of her head.

Murmuring quickly filled the air from our teammates, all of them were whispering and glaring at Lara, mostly out of anger for her framing of Bebe. Lara looked absolutely panicked so I knew I'd cracked the case. I was about to declare my victory when she clamped her eyes shut and loudly shouted out the last thing I had been expecting.

"I was trying on Kiara's dress!" Lara shouted before cracking an eye open. Everyone quickly burst out laughing while an embarrassed blush crossed Lara's face.

"Okay, I'm not even buying that!" Bebe laughed from the floor while Lara clenched her fists tightly and blushed in exasperated embarrassment. I couldn't help but stare at this look, there was a genuine red hot flash beneath the surface of her skin, and one I couldn't help but sympathize with. My team departed around me, buying my well-crafted evidence while Lara's eyes drilled into my own with anger seething below the surface. I quickly felt genuine embarrassment as she got to her feet and stormed away with what looked like tears in her eyes.

* * *

 **8:22 PM**

* * *

I'd made a grave mistake and had no idea how to fix it. I knew my teammates wouldn't take anything other than proof, they didn't exactly need much convincing to target Lara in the first place. I just couldn't let her be kicked off the show without it devouring my conscious. If only there was a way to get the information I needed to prove her innocence and find out who my real culprit was. I paced the hallways, glancing at all the security cameras and wished I had access to the footage kept locked inside them. If I could access it then I could prove who was really behind this crime.

Finding the information I needed was actually easier than I'd anticipated. I was struck with an idea when I passed the storage closets near the rear deck where Lara could set sail that very evening. I stopped near the lifeboats and found myself thinking back to my time as a Sinister Shark. Things had been going well until Phoebe had been locked in a closet with Liam, Lara, and Natalie. Natalie had somehow known about Raina's schemes amidst other small factoids that raised a lot of red flags. I turned my head towards the storage closet with the faulty door and couldn't help but stare at it with a creeping realization coming over me. A lot of my mind was screaming no at me but that tiny part of it that was guilt-ridden pressured the rest of my brain to suck it up and sneak into first class.

* * *

 **8:49 PM**

* * *

Getting into the suite was actually pretty easy. I disguising myself as a delivery girl with a tray of desserts like the one we'd lost and I was in, ready to sneak in and see if I could find answers to my much desired questions. Unfortunately, I forgot that people with power typically have a few goons loitering around.

The second I was in the door Stephen's hand was on my right shoulder while Erin's was on my left. Both boys were much larger than me and very much imposing to my small figure, I dared not disobey their clutches.

"Been looking for Natalie eh?" Stephen asked with a frown.

"How did you-" I started before being cut off by Erin.

"We'll never tell you!" Erin shouted before I could ask my question fully.

The goons spared no time in dragging me towards the sauna and throwing me into it. I stumbled to a halt right in front of a towel clad Natalie who was watching me with half closed eyes and a rather bored expression lining her face. I instantly knew I'd made a mistake seeking her out and took a step backwards in fear.

"I hear you've been looking for some information," she mused while picking at her fingers. "The only question is why? Why would you want to spare Lara of all people from elimination?"

"She's innocent," I retorted while grabbing the doorknob and preparing to leave.

"Honorable aren't we," Natalie mused while laughing at something I was unaware of, almost like she'd discovered something valuable. "Lara is in fact innocent, she really was trying on Kiara's dress. I can give you a way to prove her innocence if you do me a small favour in return."

"And what would this favour be?" I demanded.

"You'll find that out in due time," she responded while leaning back against the bench again. "The real question is if we have a deal or not."

I bit my lip knowing I couldn't trust the girl before me. She'd played the Outrageous Orca for fools and would likely pull the same on me if I let her. However, I knew what I had to do, it was against my better judgement, against most of my moral standings, and could potentially bite me in the rear at a later date. But I couldn't let someone float off the boat for something they didn't do. Besides, what could one little favour hurt?

* * *

 **10:00 PM**

* * *

"Troublesome Turtles, guess it's a rather fitting name to have given you in the end," Chris chuckled as we all gathered on the rear deck to cast one of our own off the ship. Practically everyone was glaring at Lara, something I would have been quite pleased with under normal circumstances. I did toy with the concept of just letting her go, but I couldn't do that, it's not how I wanted to play this game.

Chris yakked at us for way longer than necessary but I had to pay attention to it all and listen for the moment he got bored and told us to vote. When his lips started to mouth that sentence I rose to my feet and gave a demand for attention. My seven teammates sat around me, looking up at me curiously. I was innocent, Lara was innocent, but one of them had stolen a part of the first class experience from us. Bebe, Brad, and Jason stared at me from my left while Renee, Kiara, and Yvonne stared at me from my right. They were all listening to me and I prepared myself to sound ridiculous.

"I found out who's really behind this crime," I told them as I swung my head back and forth. Unconvinced faces peered back at me and I knew I would have to elaborate. "We all suspect Lara because she was the last to arrive when we found the mess, she hates crème brûlée, and she knew where to find the evidence to accuse Bebe."

"Yeah, where is this going?" Yvonne asked while tapping her barren wrist.

"I cannot say what led me to seek this evidence out but I can show you," I explained while looking directly at Chris. Natalie had specifically instructed me to avoid mentioning her name.

"And what would that be?" Jason asked while planting his chin in his hand.

"LARA'S DIARY!" I replied while hoisting the small booklet into the air.

"How did you-" Lara started before I held up my hand to silence her.

"An entry in here admits she was trying on the dress, all done as a follow-up to a series of entries expressing that Lara…" I explained.

"Stop!" Lara ordered.

"… Is jealous that…"

"I will seriously harm you!"

"… Kiara…"

"I TOLD YOU TO STOP!"

"… Is receiving all Jason's attention," I concluded before opening the diary wide to showcase an entire page dedicated to Jason's name and a bunch of crudely drawn hearts. Everyone on my team gasped in shock while Lara got to her feet and swiped the book from my hands before bashing me on the head with it.

"Oh snap," Yvonne called from her seat next to Kiara.

"Who doesn't love me?" Jason asked while flexing his impressive biceps and causing me to stare at them for way longer than necessary. I shook my head clear the second Bebe spoke up.

"Then who framed me," Bebe questioned.

"Brad," I replied without any hesitation.

"Oh yeah," Kiara nodded.

"Probably should have suspected that in the first place," Renee agreed.

"Why did we even consider other options?" Yvonne questioned.

"You have no proof!" Brad replied with a cross of his arms.

"Actually I do, you lied to me when you told me you only shower when you get to first class, in reality you last showered after the merger challenge where you spent the entire evening eating platefuls of desserts," I explained while listing the evidence off on my fingers. "Big stomach, love of sweets, no dinner during the challenge, and a complete lack of cleanliness when it comes to eating. The only outlying fact is that you do not hate crème brûlée!"

"I dropped it okay," Brad pouted while turning away from me like a bratty child. "Maybe you should be eliminated for being so nosey."

* * *

 **10:45 PM**

* * *

"I HATE ALL OF YOU!" Brad shouted from the interior of his life boat. "THIS ISN'T FAIR AT ALL!"

"Who said this game was ever fair?" Chris asked seconds before he cut the line. Brad fell screaming into the ocean below while my remaining teammates and I watched. It took about three seconds for all eyes to turn towards Lara. She instantly burst into a rant about how I'd over exaggerated things to my teammates while Renee approached me with a smile.

"Nice sleuthing detective," She smirked before planting a hand on her hip. "After all of this I only have one question, what was your alibi?"

"Oh," I chuckled while rubbing the back of my head in embarrassment. I almost didn't want to say what I'd been up to, it was rather embarrassing if I had to be honest. In fact, I didn't even understand it myself. The mere motion should have freaked me out but I'd done it anyway.

I reached into my pocket and drew out a piece of paper that I'd neatly folded several times. It had been crumpled much earlier and should have induced panic, but I just handed it to Renee, not at all bothered by the thing. She gave me a suspicious sideways glance before unfurling the paper and revealing one of the many drawings she'd crumpled up and thrown in the trash. I rubbed my foot against my leg in embarrassment while she blinked and pointed at the object in surprise. A beautiful sketch of me was on the page, thrown out for a reason I couldn't even fathom.

"You dug in the trash for this?" Renee asked with a blink. "That's so unlike you…"

"I dunno, I wanted to see your art I guess," I replied while Roxie put a hand on my shoulder and burst out laughing.

"It's a terrible drawing… but thanks," She smiled before leaning in and delivering a neat kiss to my cheek.

With that romantic gesture my investigation came to a close. I, Roxanne Evelynn Riches, had done it again. All it had cost me was a future commitment to Natalie, but I must say, proving someone's innocence was well worth whatever she had in store for me, plus a manipulator like her couldn't last much longer in this game, at least in my mind anyway.


	21. The Chocolate Factory

**Total Drama Ocean Cruise**

 **Chapter XXI: Yvonne and The Chocolate Factory**

 **Written by The Firebending Frog**

* * *

"I think you know why you're here… Again," Chris sighed with a quick turn in his captain's chair. He was done up in his fanciest sailing garb and held an air of disappointment to his voice. "I think we'll have to make your punishment much more severe this time…"

"You don't mean elimination," Chef gasped from his position at the wheel.

"Of course not," Chris laughed with a quick wave of his hand and looking at the player before him who had some chocolate smeared on her face and a guilty look in her eyes. "I'll just make her do my laundry!"

"SERIOUSLY?!" Yvonne exclaimed before a foul smelling hamper full of used socks, soiled shirts, and at least eight pairs of pants was shoved in her general direction.

"And that's only from today," Chef chuckled before sliding more hampers at Yvonne. She grew an exasperated look on her face and glanced at Chris with despair. He just hardened his frown in response.

"Do we need to go over the minibar discussion again?" Chris demanded while smacking his left hand into his palm. "Or do you have that memorized by now?"

"Memorized," Yvonne sighed while gripping the first laundry hamper and hoisting it upwards. She then turned towards the door and began to waddle towards it with her heavy load in hand. As she moved a bar of chocolate came dislodged from her pant leg and clattered the floor. She froze in place and glanced backwards to see Chris' enraged face. Seconds later she was rushing out the door with Chris shouting after her.

"LAVANDER SHEETS! I LIKE LAVANDER SHEETS!"

* * *

Yvonne sighed as the washing machine began to run, it tumbled clothes every which way and she stared blankly into the shifting waters while a tempting taste returned to her tongue. It rushed over her taste buds and pulled at her will, begging her to indulge in the very same desire that had landed her in the laundry room in the first place. Apparently dozens of jeans, hundreds of socks, and heaps of undergarments weren't enough to make her think twice, as the second that urge hit she didn't even resist it.

Her hand slunk into her pocket where a solitary bar of that delicious Norfield chocolate sat waiting to be devoured. The last one she'd have until she was allowed to clean rooms again. She probably should have kept it for later that evening but it was unwrapped and bitten into the moment it was in the open. The taste washed over her mouth and within seconds she took another bite, then another, and then the entire thing was in her mouth. Once she was done she was practically panting for more, something that didn't go unnoticed.

"Did you even taste that contraband?" Wilma's voice demanded so suddenly that Yvonne whirled around in panic and took a reflexive fighting stance from her Black Hole Brigade training. Wilma was lounged on a counter with a pile of folded socks next to her, almost like she'd been there for quite some time and was only now realizing she had company.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Yvonne replied before the candy wrapper slipped from her fingers and fluttered the ground. She quickly pursed her lips and planted a foot squarely on it before dragging it behind her other leg in embarrassment.

"Let me guess, cookies and cream bar?" Wilma questioned.

"No…" Yvonne trailed.

"Is it those mini packages of cookies that have like twelve in them?" Wilma guessed again.

"No…" Yvonne sighed before lifting her foot and revealing the wrapper to her former teammate. Wilma instantly snorted in laughter while Yvonne frowned and watched her overreact. She quickly crossed her arms and gazed at Wilma with a frown. The other girl kept laughing for a few seconds before wiping a tear from her eye and switching into stifled laughter.

"I'm sorry, it's just that Norfield chocolate is disgusting," Wilma chuckled while sliding off the bench she'd been seated on. "Their ingredient label is so long, probably filled with all sorts of nasty chemicals meant to cause addictions."

"That's just one of those dumb conspiracies people who don't like big business make up," Yvonne replied in a matter of fact tone.

"But, I've seen how you eat," Wilma responded while picking up the wrapper. "This is the kind of stuff you normally wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole."

"As if you know everything about me," Yvonne replied with a quick turn away from Wilma.

"Oh I'm great at reading people," Wilma replied in a proud tone. "I can tell exactly what a person is like from only the smallest of interactions."

"Sure, sure, whatever," Yvonne replied as she picked up a load of Chris' pants and began stuffing them into the washer. They had to be washed once inside out and then again right side out so he got maximum cleanliness of on both sides.

"Well, you keep doing chores that clearly have nothing to do with your strange addiction to this chocolate brand while I go meet my boyfriend up in first class," Wilma announced while marching towards the door.

"We're not allowed up there," Yvonne replied with a quick turn of her head.

"As if anyone cares!" Wilma laughed before walking out of the room with a smirk on her face.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"If you ask me there's something really fishy about manufactured foods," Wilma admits while leaning on the confessional table and poking one of the various souvenirs hung on the wall. "I hate to be that conspiracy theorist, but I tend to find people get hooked on junk food easier than fruit or home cooked meats. All that food has its chemical makeup toyed with until it's irresistible to our brains. Yvonne's got a classic case of this, except I smell something fishy, and it isn't just the chocolate."

* * *

After leaving Yvonne, Wilma made her way up to the first class cabin with her hands pocketed and her shirt untucked. She opened the door to the pristine cabin and a few glances were sent her way from the dominating force that was The Nasty Narwhal. Most of them must have assumed she was there to unclog a toilet or something, because they all resumed their activities after a single look. This gave Wilma a chance to snag a doughnut off the table before walking down the hallway.

She came to a halt four doors down and kicked the door in without much concern over damages. The occupant gave a surprised yelp while she walked in and kicked the door shut behind her.

"Tell me you tried these doughnuts," Wilma exclaimed with a full mouth while Trevor sprang to his feet in a mixture of shock and outrage.

"What are you doing here?!" he demanded.

"I was doing laundry, but I have half an hour to kill before the next load ends," Wilma shrugged while the gears in Trevor's head began to spin.

"It takes fifteen minutes to get from the laundry room to this one!" Trevor exclaimed as Wilma brushed past him and leapt onto his bed with her shoes on.

"I do double loads, no one will even notice I was gone by the end," Wilma snickered while Trevor's eye twitched. Laundry did not work when oven logic was applied to it, she was getting dirt and frosting on his bed, and she was simply there during work hours. If Chris caught her they'd both be in big trouble. He tried to think back to the logic Olga had applied to their rather opposite personalities and how they could cooperate, but finding a compromise between them at that moment was like finding a middle ground between sense and nonsense.

"Get off my bed Wilma," Trevor ordered with a cross of his arms.

"Who died and made you captain?" Wilma demanded in return.

"Oh for crying out loud, you're acting like a child again!" Trevor shouted.

"What do you mean again?!" Wilma growled with a swing of her legs over the edge of the bed and a stalk towards Trevor with a finger drawn and pointed. Trevor seemed unfazed by her threatening air, a motion that annoyed her a lot more than it should have. Most people burst into apologetics the second she put on anything resembling a threatening tone, but Trevor was steadfast and rigid. She was suddenly narrowing her eyes and realizing that Trevor hadn't talked much in their many meetings, failing to disclose much about his personal life and instead sitting near her in sweaty silence.

"Oh forget what Olga said," Trevor growled before planting his hands on his hips and staring Wilma right in the eye. "I'm sick of you skipping out on work and dragging me into your rule breaking. One of these days Chris will catch you, and when he does he'll probably lump me in with your punishment."

"Oh, you think I'm going to get in trouble just because of a little fun?!" Wilma shouted back before the two of them burst into a loud bout of arguing that could be heard throughout the first class cabin. The main reason for their argument was pretty clear, Wilma broke the rules and Trevor upkept them. They were like an officer dating a criminal, it just wasn't panning out well. Everything was coming spilling out, their gripes about the other, their distaste for how the other lived, and how they were absolutely terrible for one another.

Wilma kept calling Trevor lame and Trevor kept insisting that Wilma was going to get hurt by every single little thing she tried to have fun with. They barked, bickered, and after a while Wilma simply stormed out of the room with a look of absolute rage on her face. When Elsa asked what Wilma was doing in first class she was grabbed by the shoulder and thrown aside by a quick motion. Trevor was having a different emotional reaction, one that involved crying on his bed and locking his door so no one could come in. Numerous people exchanged looks after the entire fight ended and only one thought permeated their collective consciousness, the two had broken up.

* * *

The _S.S McLean_ pulled into port just a little past noon and the contestants onboard were quickly loaded into a bus and treated with a drive through an idyllic northern European countryside. Tiny towns, stone structures lying about, and endless farmer's fields bordered the miniscule European roads. None of these beautiful little locations were their destination though, they instead skipped past all of them and made their way towards a giant factory looming over the countryside. Huge steam stacks billowed clouds of piping hot moisture into the sky while smaller facilities were littered around the main building.

Advertisements listed it as a chocolate factory and billboards contained happy imagery that contrasted with the actual building to an insane degree. The closer they got the more certain players got that they were about to visit it, a thought that proved itself to be correct when the gates of the factory opened for them and their tour bus was ushered into a parking lot that had a surprising lack of vehicles in it. It either meant the workers at the factory were slaves or they just commuted to work via bus. They were quickly parked and disembarking the bus while a giant _Norfield_ logo loomed over them like a medieval castle does to a small town.

"Welcome Total Drama contestants," A woman in a suit greeted them the second they were off the bus. She was dressed in an iron gray suit with steel coloured hair above it tied in such a tight bun it looked almost painful. The small glasses and plain look on her face indicated she probably wasn't a woman who spent her weekends in a club. "I'd like to welcome you to The Norfield Chocolate Factory, you're about to be treated to a tour of it, but pay attention because things you learn today may very well help you win immunity."

"Great, learning," Liam drawled in the most sarcastic tone he could muster

"If you'll follow me inside," The woman announced as two large doors were pulled open revealing a very boring interior.

Instead of seeing the actual factory they were greeted with a security desk containing a woman with red hair, a hall with a bunch of rooms in it, and multiple pictures of past CEOs. Wilma caught sight of these pictures and quickly nudged Yvonne with a laugh.

"Guess this factory is evil, they're cloning their CEO," Wilma snickered with a point at the portraits. All five previous CEOS had the same scowl, professional looking attitude, and features as the woman giving them a tour.

"It's just strong genes," Yvonne replied while slapping Wilma's hand away from her shoulder. "Most of the women on my dad's side look like sisters despite being spread across three generations."

"I'm gonna stick with evil," Wilma responded with a smirk that Yvonne refused to respond to.

The next area they entered contained the factory, but all the actual mixing vats and melting pots were separated from the tour by a large panel of glass. People walked around in body covering scrubs to prevent contamination and wore goggles, head coverings, and in some rooms breathing masks. Their tour guide led them through the area describing the mixing process and claiming several safety statistics in the most rehearsed way possible. She didn't stop to answer questions, didn't let them gaze into the rooms very long, and seemed more concerned about mugging to the camera than actually engaging the players she was leading through the facility.

The area smelled wonderful, though that didn't stop Wilma's conspiring. The chocolate smelled too good, almost like it had to have something added to it in order to get that addictive taste it was known for. She grinned at Yvonne and her former teammate glared back at her, not even wanting to humour Wilma evil chocolate factory conspiracy. Wilma however, was not in the mood to simply coast along in the terrible tour.

"WHAT'S THE SECRET INGREDIENT TO NORFIELD CHOCOLATE?!" Wilma shouted over her rivals in the contest. This scream seemed to get the attention of their tour guide better than any raised hand ever could.

"The secret to our chocolate bar is the selection of wholesome, handpicked ingredients from environmentally sustainable farms. We only use the best here at The Norfield Chocolate Company," the guide explained in the most telegraphed tone possible. Unfortunately for her, Wilma shouting a question had altered everyone else's tactics and they'd begun shouting questions while Wilma leaned back chuckling and motioned at a nearby _Keep Out_ sign hanging on a door.

"They're probably flavouring it with cow urine or something," Wilma laughed with a lean on the railing.

"Did you hear anything that woman just said?" Yvonne demanded with a cross of her arms.

"Yeah, she's up to something. Or perhaps she's covering something up…" Wilma replied with a coy grin.

"Well, there's no way to prove it, so I'm just going to follow her word," Yvonne announced with a cross of her arms and a close of her eyes. She opened those eyes when she heard a rattling coming from the door and nearly fainted in shock. The door gave a click and Wilma had it open, having picked the lock and broken into the room. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"You think this factory is innocent, here's your chance to prove it," Wilma replied with a point towards Yvonne.

"We could get in serious trouble for this," Yvonne shouted in a whisper.

"I know, right?!" Wilma giggled in excitement before pushing the door open and stepping in. Yvonne bit her lip for about three seconds before following Wilma into the room. The door was about to shut behind them when a foot caught the doorframe. Trevor glanced back at the tour before he let out a deep sigh and followed them.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

"I did it to stop them from getting arrested, nothing more, and definitely not because I felt bad about how things with Wilma went down," Trevor announced while refusing to make eye contact with the camera.

* * *

The door led to a small scaffold looming over the factory floor, conveyor belts ran from machines with completed chocolate bars on them, fully wrapped and being collected and boxed into large crates that were ready for shipping. Factory workers in full scrubs wandered about the floor, keeping an eye on the production line and operating forklifts to carry the finished crates deeper into the warehouse. It looked sanitary and clean to Yvonne, so she smirked at Wilma knowingly before Trevor's shadow loomed over both of them.

Wilma's reflexes kicked in and she whirled and delivered a hard punch right into Trevor's gut. He cringed in pain, fell to his knees and stifled a cry of pain. Both girls blinked at him before exchanging a confused glance. Wilma didn't wait for Trevor to explain himself though, she quickly rose to her full height and planted a hand on her hip before speaking in a tone just loud enough to be heard over the noise of the factory.

"What are you doing here?" Wilma demanded with a snide tone to her voice.

"Making sure you don't get arrested for trespassing," Trevor retorted with a glare up at Wilma.

"We're just looking around," Wilma replied with a wave of her hand before slinging her arm around Yvonne's shoulders and steering her towards the factory floor. Trevor followed with a hand clutched over his gut and he thankfully caught up with the two girls just in time to grab the backs of their shirts and pull them behind a crate. Had he been two seconds late the nearest factory worker would have turned towards them and given a shout of alarm.

Wilma didn't show Trevor any gratefulness and instead shook him off and approached the conveyor belt with Yvonne. Fully packaged Norfield chocolate bars flowed down the belt and each and every one looked identical to the ones found in stores, the only difference being the words were written in Japanese instead of English. The crates collecting them were bound for Japan and the controls on the printing press making the wrappers signaled there were probably other templates saved within the machine. They could produce every Norfield chocolate bar right there in that factory without the need to establish any more.

"Isn't it a little suspicious that they keep all their world production within this one facility?" Wilma demanded with a point at the bars flowing past them.

"Isn't land like, ridiculously expensive?" Yvonne asked while her fingers began swiping chocolate bars from the belt. Trevor instantly slapped her hand and began putting them back, but within seconds the trio of players were under the belt and hiding from the factory workers doing their rounds.

"If we keep doing this your way we're going to get caught," Trevor muttered before ducking out of their hiding place and sneaking along the wall to a supply closet. He opened it and found precisely what he was looking for. He gave a signal and the two girls rushed from hiding to follow him, avoiding a camera as they went. They eventually came upon the closet and found themselves face to face with spare factory uniforms. Scrubs, rubber gloves, and goggles. Everything had to be covered or they could risk contamination, the good news was that these outfits also hid every single feature the group sported save the skin around the mouth, not that this one fact would be bothersome, there was bound to be at least one person working there that they at least slightly resembled based on that one tiny patch of skin.

"Let's go, we're breaking so many laws right now," Trevor ordered the second they were disguised. They would be able to sneak back up to the ramp and rejoin the tour group without any suspicion being raised.

"Do whatever you want," Wilma muttered before she quickly followed the machines past the packaging plant to where the bars were entering the machines. Doors separated this area from the next and at least three had to be entered to get from one to the other. Each door opened increased the smell of chocolate until they entered the floor where molten chocolate was being poured into moulds and cooled into shape. Employees were busy sweeping out broken and insufficient bars from the line and dumping them into a cart labelled _Melting_. Another batch of employees was replacing a faulty mould on another machine while a few more simply cleaned things. Once again nothing nefarious reared its head and the group was simply treated to another step in the chocolate making process. In all honesty it was more fascinating than it was worrisome.

"Nothing evil's afoot here," Yvonne announced as the trio walked across the facility floor. Thanks to the scrubs no one gave them a second look, something Trevor was grateful for. He could picture security flooding into the room at any second and catching them in the act. He couldn't have a criminal record, he just couldn't. Maybe Wilma was fine living a life of crime but he couldn't handle it, he was about three seconds away from turning himself over.

Thankfully for Trevor a way to escape the madness that was unfolding appeared. A door at the opposite end of the room opened and out stepped the tour group. Yvonne quickly dove behind a mould and Wilma shoved Trevor after her before leaping behind it herself. All three of them peered from behind the moulds as the tour walked past. The guide gave off a boring spiel about the factory and kept mentioning how their chocolate used non GMO ingredients and fair trade sugar. Wilma thought it was just sickeningly telegraphed, only being said because either the opposite was true or they were simply skirting the line.

The group was past remarkably fast and camera crews followed at a quick pace after the teams. They were the real audience, Wilma knew this for a fact. The guide kept looking over the contestant's heads and staring directly into the lifeless eyes of the cameras before saying her rehearsed lines. In fact, Wilma was certain this lady was just a hired actress who happened to look like the CEO when the real suits in charge were bent on making as much capital as possible.

"Well, since nothing evil is going on in here, I suggest we rejoin the group," Trevor announced with a point towards the passing tour group.

"No one will know if we go look at where the chocolate is mixed," Wilma retorted.

"We're literally on camera right now!" Trevor announced with a point at the cameraman watching them.

"Nah, Vinnie's cool," Wilma responded with a wave. This wave was returned by a hairy arm suddenly popping into frame and waving back. Trevor stared at the camera for a few seconds with disgust written on his face before Wilma was off again, sneaking past the tour group and approaching the wall that molten chocolate seemed to be pouring out of. She wasn't going to stop and Trevor could have easily just ditched her and returned to the tour group with no one being any wiser. But with a sigh he scurried after the two girls and followed them to another set of doors that had been entered by the tour. Wilma caught the closing door with her foot and let Yvonne in before letting it close. Trevor managed to snag it before it could slam entirely and he tugged it open with a small grunt. Wilma glanced back at him for a second before pursing her lips and hurrying along the hallway after Yvonne again.

The small hallway opened up to yet another room full of factory workers who were busy watching machines mix chocolate in gargantuan vats. Warning labels were everywhere and railing separated them from more railing, all in order to prevent anyone from falling into the molten cocoa. It smelled amazing, that was the biggest takeaway from the hot and humid room filled with vents and loud machinery.

Timers counted down, supervisors watched their underlings dip long rods into the chocolate, and there was even a spare vat where badly moulded chocolate bars were being dumped and repurposed. The group even got to see a solitary vat being filled with various ingredients, a brand new batch of chocolate that had liquids and sugars dumped into it. It was actually a disgusting amount of sugar, and a lot of milk. Everything was dumped in via hoses and large overhead machinery that poured gallons upon gallons of liquid into the mixing pot where giant turbines sat, ready to mix together a new batch of Norfield chocolate.

"Milk, Cocoa, a lot of raw sugar. Why, this seems very normal," Yvonne announced as she watched vanilla be dumped into the vat by the litre.

"What's that thing then?" Wilma demanded with a point at a single sprayer making its way to the rapidly filling vat. All the other ingredients stopped pouring but that sprayer only began at that moment. A sudden gush of liquid rocketed out of the nozzle and a sickeningly good scent filled the air, one that made every taste bud present in the room begin salivating. Yvonne, Wilma, and Trevor had no clue what the pale stuff was but they knew they wanted a taste of it, or at least their taste buds did. Wilma had enough control to know what was up.

"That's the secret ingredient," Yvonne drooled while watching the nozzle continue to spray, filling what remained of the vat up with the liquid. A loud clunk then sounded and turbines inside it began to turn and mix everything together. That nozzle stopped its spray and everyone was left wishing it would come back.

"I knew they were adding chemicals!" Wilma shouted, though she was barely audible over the machinery clunking before her.

"Not neccisarily," Trevor retorted with a thoughtful look in his eyes. "It's far more likely we're just seeing a concentrated version of a household product, probably a mixture of melted butters, creams, and milk for flavouring."

"I'd think you of all people would be concerned that a company is adding miscellaneous fluid to their product, don't you need to know every detail about everything before making a decision?" Wilma demanded with an accusatory point at Trevor.

"And shouldn't you be fine with whatever random garbage is poured into your food? Your taste buds are already telling you that this stuff smells good so shouldn't you be following your impulses?" Trevor questioned before the two locked gazes and began to growl.

"You just want to hold me back and repeat everything every day, never doing anything new or exciting!" Wilma growled while edging closer to Trevor.

"No, I'm trying to stop you from ruining your life with impulsive choices," Trevor responded while also moving closer. Both players glared at one another through their goggles until Yvonne rose up between them pushed them apart.

"If you two are done, I found where that stuff comes from," she announced while glancing between Wilma and Trevor with a frown on her face. "Trevor, if you're so worried you can go back to the tour group."

Trevor just frowned in response and turned to the side with a glare on his eyes and his nose wrinkled in annoyance. Yvonne quickly swung her head back to Wilma and grabbed her arm before leading her towards a nearby door. A single glance backwards provided her the knowledge that Trevor was continuing to follow them despite all his protests, he'd declined the out she'd handed him, instead concerning himself with their safety and secrecy.

The door was unlocked and the space between the two rooms was labelled with keep out signs and notices to make sure doors were indeed locked. None of the factory employees seemed to care though, and everything ranging from lockers to doorways were open. The place clearly had a recurring staff, the type only obtained through years of familiarity. Certain rules were being followed by others had been disregarded in favour of ease of access.

The other end of the changing rooms, bathrooms, and lunch room, contained a high tech laboratory with lab coat wearing chemical engineers mixing fluids together and hunched over papers and absolutely perfect fruits and seeds. They'd extract a single drop of grape juice, boil liquids over Bunsen burners, and discuss things over coffee. All the sanitation scrubs and goggles had been exchanged for professional laboratory gear that basically ended at clear goggles to protect the eyes.

Sure it was an intense looking chemistry lab but it didn't seem out of the ordinary to Trevor, Wilma, and Yvonne. Dozens of scientists doing tests with fruit juices, cocoa extract, and milk. It just seemed perfectly normal, all except one detail, one detail that made all three players gasp and recall every room they'd journeyed through up to that point. Every employee in the factory had been female, they'd all stood at the same height and sported the same proportions. Only now did they get a clear look at their faces.

Every single employee present in that lab looked identical to their tour guide.

Wilma, Trevor, and Yvonne glanced left and right, taking in the exact duplicates performing various tasks and chattering in the exact same voices. The fact everyone spoke in the same tones quickly made the gasps the three players were giving off stand out. The trio had dozens of identical blue eyes on them in seconds that noticed Wilma's height, Trevor's skin tone, and Yvonne's chin shape as oddities. A shriek and point were in order and every scientist was suddenly surrounding them with grit teeth and glares on their eyes. Murmurings about trespassers and company secrets swirled around them and Wilma was the first to open her mouth.

"RUN!" She shouted before Trevor bowled over a couple of the scientists with a well-placed shoulder check and cleared a path to a nearby door. Several ladies threw vial of extract at them and a few powders were thrown in their faces. The worst thing they were in possession of was boiling milk, and even then their accuracy with beakers left a lot to be desired. The three players were at the stairwell in seconds and Trevor kicked the door in before bolting down the stairwell ahead of them. Out of breath women followed them but their numbers dwindled as the three players got further and further down the stairwell.

"I guess you were right about something going on here," Yvonne commented while Wilma let out a small whimper in response. Alarms began to blare as they rushed down the stairs and one of the doors along the stairwell was thrust open to reveal much more able bodied factory floor workers. About a dozen gave chase with shouts escaping their lips while the trio slunk deeper down the stairwell.

Yvonne stole a small glance down the well and happened to see the bottom level be kicked in by a few women dressed as security guards with ties, collared shirts, and belts. About five of them erupted from the bottom of the well and they put the factory workers to shame. Sure they all shared a biology but the ladies charging up the stairs had likely spent all their free time benching iron. Because of their presence Yvonne quickly directed Wilma and Trevor towards a nearby door that they all tumbled through it, startling more scientists. When they got back up Yvonne gave an absolutely horrified gasp.

Large vats filled with green liquid and frogs stood all around the room, a nearby scientist was grinding up teeth, and large crates labelled _Spare Cockroach Parts_ lay scattered around the room. Yvonne felt bile rise in her throat and she quickly covered it in disgust right before the factory workers and security guards reached their floor. Wilma quickly grabbed Yvonne's wrist and began to drag her through the maze of horrors. Every time they switched direction or rounded a large vat of frogs Yvonne was exposed to a new horror hidden below the factory floor. A pit full of carnivorous plants, fermenting fruits swarming with maggots, and a bunch of overweight guys in a sauna. Her face was practically locked into a look of horror while she was pulled behind Wilma and stumbling over her own feet.

They reached another door eventually and this door led to another stairwell they rushed up. They burst through the fifth floor to find themselves on the factory floor and the second they were there the elevator next to them dinged and a bunch of security personal flooded out.

"We're in too deep," Wilma whimpered while clutching her hair.

"You kids are coming with us," One of the security women announced while marching towards them in an intimidating manner. A person of authority who was simply doing her job and protecting the security of the factory would normally be the first person Trevor listened to, but in that instance he grabbed Wilma and Yvonne, dragged them to the nearest forklift and leapt into the driver's seat, turning the key as he went and thrusting a hard hat onto Wilma's head before placing one on his own. The security guards burst into a run but Trevor quickly turned the forklift and zipped off along the rows of raw ingredients lined up around them.

The forklift's fastest pace barely out sped the security guards, but it was still faster, so those ladies fell behind them as he began to maneuver the vehicle through a maze of crates. Wilma clutched onto the frame of the machine while Yvonne clung onto the back of the vehicle. Once they were a decent distance away from the ladies behind them Yvonne gave a cheer that was cut short by another forklift nearly colliding with them. A factory worker drove it with expertise while three security guards clung onto the frame with angry looks on their faces.

"Does this thing go any faster?!" Yvonne demanded as a second forklift appeared in front of them, preparing to cut them off.

"Nope," Trevor replied before taking his foot off the acceleration and allowing the vehicle to grind to a near halt, he then slowly turned it to make a sharp corner before slamming his foot on the gas again. The forklift chasing them roared past them with the security guards leaping off as it went. Yvonne looked back at them with fear in her eyes while the forklift she was on rushed past crate after crate containing who knows what, shipped from places most of the world held trade embargos with.

"This is so messed up," Wilma whimpered as they entered another large path cut between two stacks of crates. Factory workers yelped and leapt out of the way as they sped past, they dropped containers filled with frogs, bins of horse lips, and something that smelled suspiciously like glue. Food colouring that would permanently stain the skin splashed up on one worker while another tumbled backwards into a crate filled with lobsters. All the identical women scattered the second the forklift was barreling through their ranks.

"This is so fun," Trevor grinned as he put the forklift into full gear and lowered the pegs to the ground. They scraped against the concrete as he rushed towards an open shipping door. The pegs knocked crates of chocolate, fossils, and grasshoppers out of the way as they zipped under the door and found the other side beginning to close.

"You need to stop!" Wilma ordered.

"I need a new exit," Trevor responded before twisting the forklift towards a makeshift wall crafted out of cheap construction material that would be replaced at a later date. Ladies in the process of building that wall gave loud screams and dove out of the way right before the trio crashed through the thin plaster.

The forklift smashed through the wall into a room filled with large pods containing half grown people that made all three players cringe in disgust. They then smashed into a room where glass separated a garbage press that was creating one of the many fluids added to the chocolate out of landfill waste. Two scientists gave loud screams of surprise before they burst through another wall and found a woman at a desk taking a sip of soda. She proceeded to place it down on the desk without a coaster seconds before the trio smashed through the wall and found themselves airborne. Women in scrubs ran around in panic while they sailed into a large vat of molten chocolate.

The mixture was so thick that the forklift was actually staying afloat, slowly sinking into the bubbling hot chocolate and catching on the top of the mixing turbines. Had they hit any other spot the sinking probably would have been worse but in that moment they were simply afloat in the vat of delicious smelling chocolate that didn't seem so delicious anymore.

"End of the line," A security woman panted as she entered the room through the hole the trio had made. All the security personal looked exhausted from the chase and panted along the side of the vat, taking their time to cross the safety rail.

"I should have listened to you," Wilma admitted as she grabbed Trevor as tightly as she could. "Now we're gonna die."

"You're not going to die," The head security woman announced. "You're just going to spend the rest of your natural lives in an insane asylum so our company secrets don't get out."

"Can I promise not to tell anyone?" Wilma asked with a half-smile.

"No," The security woman responded.

"I guess I got in too deep," Wilma sighed as they continued to slowly sink into the molten chocolate. "You were right all along, if I hadn't been so disregarding towards the rules I'd just be bored in a tour instead of about to die in some chocolate."

"Wilma, listening to me is the last thing you should do," Trevor responded while grabbing her by the arms. "Sure your degenerate habits conflict with my own personal ideals, but they're you… and I like you, not some rule following nincompoop obsessed with safety."

"Safety sounds pretty good right now," Wilma replied with a glance at everyone surrounding the vat. The mixer stopped rotating and the heat under them went dead. The chocolate continued to bubble as they balanced precariously on the top of the turbines, inches from sinking below the surface of the mess around them.

"Wilma, I want you to think of the craziest and most outlandish idea you can and just do it," Trevor ordered before letting her go and taking a step backwards. "Just be yourself…"

Wilma glanced left at the security guards and then at some workers to her right working the shutdown sequence. The second she saw them a wild idea formed in her head. She took a glance at Trevor before a smile crept over her face and she bent down, pulled off her shoe, and proceeded to hurl it at the controls. It bashed into the machinery and caused the control panel to begin sparking angrily.

Alarms instantly started blaring and multiple workers gave screams of shock and terror as the entire melting pot began to tilt. Wilma thrust her arms into the air and instantly went for the controls of the forklift. Trevor however, got in her way and put on a smirk.

"I think this part requires a little safety," Trevor grinned before taking the wheel and preparing for what came next.

The entire vat suddenly spilled over, boiling hot chocolate washed over the ground and they rode a wave of it. A bunch splashed up onto Yvonne and she gave a short scream of pain when it hit her arm before sucking on the burn and smiling at the taste. Factory workers ran away in front of the wave of molten cocoa and jumped at support beams and atop conveyer belts to escape it while Trevor slammed his foot down on the gas. They spun out for a second before rocketing forward with chocolate flying off behind them. Yvonne spat out the chocolate in her mouth at this point, paused, and proceeded to put more in her mouth before repeating the process. They crashed through conveyer belts, knocked chocolate bars to the floor, and were followed by a slowing wave of chocolate. They finally spun out and skid to a halt when they collided with the completed crates at the end of the assembly line. They were thrust from the forklift alongside dozens of chocolate bars and landed with thuds at the feet of the last person they wanted to be caught by.

"What are you three doing wearing factory uniforms?!" The tour guide demanded as she loomed over them. Security rushed up behind the trio as they stared up at the cross look on the same face they'd been pursued by all day. All their teammates stared at them with random blinks erupting on their faces.

"This place is pure evil!" Wilma exclaimed with a leap to her feet. "The chocolate is flavoured with garbage, they're using illegal ingredients, and the entire factory is manipulating the world's taste buds for money!"

"They're cloning people!" Trevor exclaimed while grabbing a nearby security guard and shaking her until she slapped him in the face.

"A lady didn't use a coaster!" Yvonne added with a leap into the air and a pause in front of the factory owner. She stared at the woman for a few seconds before lowering her head in a broken hearted motion. "I trusted your brand, I liked your brand, I loved your brand, and all this time it was actually literal garbage."

"And who was it that discovered our factory secrets?" The guide demanded with a narrow of her eyes. An intense silence filled the air as she glanced between Trevor, Wilma, and Yvonne. As she did both Trevor and Wilma took a step back while Yvonne glanced back at them. She took in a deep breath, put on a brave face, and turned towards the woman before her with confidence blooming on her face.

"I did," She announced. "I dragged these two into it and saw a bunch of stuff that's quite hard to process."

"Well then…" The guide announced as two security guards walked up behind Yvonne and cut off any chance of escape she had. "YOU'RE OUR BIIIIIIIG WINNER!"

Suddenly the entire air of the room changed, a bunch of the security force suddenly began clapping while the guide thrust her hand out and shook Yvonne's. Yvonne simply looked around in utter confusion while the clapping died down.

"I'm confused…" Yvonne admitted.

"We set up the whole thing," The guide laughed while backing up to Chris and discreetly handing him a wad of bills. "Your uh, real challenge was to discover a… a… a hidden dark secret in the factory and the one who discovered the worst one would, would win the challenge or something… Yeah… That's it."

"What about the clones?" Trevor demanded with a point at the identical ladies behind him.

"Oh those are actors," The guide replied with a wave of her hand. "We stuck the ones that looked like me in uniforms while everyone else wore scrubs and covered their faces."

"But the secret ingredient," Wilma stated with a point back at the room they'd washed out of.

"Well take the smell of chocolate and multiply it by a thousand and you get a pretty decent scent out of it," The guide explained with a clap of her hands. "Every person's taste buds are attracted to something more than the rest of the ingredients, what you smelled may have just been a concentration of cream, cocoa, or ground nuts."

"You mean I won?" Yvonne asked with a gasp. "And Norfield chocolate isn't flavoured by frogs and mixed by illegally bred clone labour."

"Nope," The guide replied before being handed a bar of chocolate by one of the security personal. "In fact, have the first bar of this latest batch, for a keepsake…"

"Oh my," Yvonne gasped as she was handed the chocolate bar. The guide turned to whisper something to her security guard before blinking and turning back to Yvonne, who had eaten the entire chocolate bar in the span of her whispering. The guide turned back to the guard and ordered her to disregard her last order.

"I don't buy it," Wilma announced in a defiant tone.

"Whether you believe what we set up here today is fictional or not doesn't matter, what does matter is that you two lose, and as a tiebreaker we'll be having a chocolate eating contest sponsored by Norfield Chocolate, a subsidiary of Genetitec, you're family friendly Bioengineering Corporation," The guide announced while mugging for the camera.

* * *

 **Confessional**

* * *

Chris thumbs through the wad of bills he was handed and the look of glee on his face extends from ear to ear.

* * *

"In two thousand and two, we, The Norfield Chocolate Company, produced a new brand of chocolate bars that contained raisins," the tour guide explained as security personal, or perhaps actors, thrust Wilma and Trevor down onto a bench. A third employee grabbed a tarp and tugged it off a pile of chocolate bars with a cartoon raisin on the front that definitely fell into the uncanny. "We ended up pulling the bar after four months due to astronomically low sales. The good news is that our family friendly recipes keep these things in their best before date for ten years."

"But it's been sixteen years," Wilma protested before earning a maniacal look from the guide that no one but she and Trevor could see.

"Precisely," the guide grinned before planting a hand firmly on the table. "You two were the only ones on your teams to see the, _horrors_ , of our factory and as you can tell by the sheer amount of it that we've collected here, the idea was for everyone to discover the alleged secrets of the factory and then eat chocolate. I'd say your victory in this challenge is completely dependent on whether you believe what you saw was real or fake. You have five minutes, most bars consumed wins immunity, loser gets to send one of their teammates home."

"You believe what we saw was real right?" Wilma asked Trevor with a sigh the second their guide had stepped back.

"Yep, we're eating frog water," Trevor replied.

"Well, let's hope with nineteen eliminations behind us we're past the point of blaming whomever cost the team a challenge," Wilma smiled before a small bell was rung and a timer was set for five minutes.

The best way to describe that particular brand of chocolate bar was the same as describing an oatmeal raisin cookie, and not for the reasons one would think. Both players knew there were raisins going in and they proved to be the least disturbing part of the bar. What threw them off was the texture. Years had done some serious harm to the innards of those chocolate bars and they were riddled with dried up chucks that were difficult to bite into. The raisins were fine but the chocolate had clearly degraded in a weird way, likely due to all the chemicals involved. The taste had gone sour, it left sawdust like crumbs in the mouth that absorbed way too much moisture, and the aftertaste drifted from the mouth and up into the nostrils where it made both players recoil from the smell. They'd smelled delicious chocolate all day but the mere thought of the state it was in being the aftereffect was a disturbing prospect.

The teams watched their respective player try to earn a victory and it was painful. Everyone assumed the gagging was from the raisin branded bars that were six years past expiry, but the eaters could link every flavour to something they saw. They tasted dumpster juice, sweat, and frogs dipped in liquid. They could picture the clones hard at work, warehouses stocked with illegal ingredients, and acne that would break out on their faces in the morning.

Bar after bar passed down their gullets but neither player got past five. By that point Wilma had her face on the table groaning and Trevor was dry heaving from the taste. Everyone watched this unfold before them until the buzzer ran out and Wilma slammed her head against the table and groaned louder than before. Everyone saw the peeled open wrappers and one team burst into cheers while the other groaned. Wilma had managed to choke down four chocolate bars but Trevor was at five, a number that secured his team from elimination for the umpteenth time.

"I never want to eat chocolate again," Wilma proclaimed.

"That's a lie," Trevor replied with a laugh that Wilma returned a few seconds later. "I hear this brand is illegal in Brazil," Trevor noted, a phrasing that caused Wilma to snort with laugher and recall one of their many get-togethers.

"Hey, I'm sorry about earlier, I kind of dragged you into my rule breaking," Wilma sighed while avoiding eye contact. "I guess that sort of behaviour made you uncomfortable."

"It's fine, I didn't exactly let you know it bothered me in the first place," Trevor agreed while glancing at his celebrating team. "How can I expect a problem to be solved if I never bring it up?"

"We cool?" Wilma asked while holding out a fist.

"We cool," Trevor replied while bumping her fist. "And you know, we could probably continue dating if you just give me a little heads up before you dooooooomph!"

Trevor was cut off by Wilma slinging herself around the table and grabbing him in a passionate kiss that he hadn't been expecting in the slightest. He floundered for a few seconds before shrugging and grabbing her, kissing back with equal passion.

* * *

 **Elimination Deck**

* * *

"I have only one mint left on this plate," Chris announced as a cold northern wind blew through his hair. "The five of you are about to become four, numbers smaller than The Pathetic Plankton ended with, though I must say, it's still a rather surprising development to me considering some of your members. But alas one of you will be heading home tonight.

"Wilma, you were the only active challenge member in today's fight but bit it bigtime when it came to the tiebreaker, too bad you didn't have Louise's iron guts there huh? And speaking of Louise, you're sitting here without a mint for reasons unknown. I can already tell this vote isn't being based off any kind of performance since you've both proven yourselves to be worthy players."

Wilma and Louise exchanged a look during this time, knowing full well what inner team drama had forced them to this point. Wilma's daring motion to stand up for Raina a few days back had driven a rift between her and her teammates. He was there because she'd directly targeted him for his manipulative strategies and backhanded lying. The fact he was so open about his manipulation gave off an air of cockiness that annoyed her to her very core. He was crafty and had likely prepared a strategy for her, so she'd gotten all her affairs in order just in case.

She'd hung out with Trevor for most of the afternoon, anticipating that this could possibly be her last night aboard the ship. There had been a solid hour devoted to putting up graffiti in the bowels of the ship that spelled out her name in neon pinks and blaringly loud purples. Then there were her bags at her feet, all zipped up and double checked for lost items and snacks snagged from the minibars. Louise hadn't finalized his bags or anything which gave off a confident air that made a growl crawl onto Wilma's face.

Two very different reactions could emerge from the elimination ceremony, shocked anger from Louise and calm acceptance from Wilma. Louise didn't need the money, but the concept of losing a game would bring out his inner rage. Wilma likewise wasn't exactly dying to get her hands on that cool million, she definitely wanted to travel but wanted to do it by hitchhiking and backpacking about with very little money.

"The final mint of the evening goes to…" Chris trailed while gazing back and forth between the final two contestants…

…

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… Louise," Chris concluded while tossing the final mint to the dark skinned boy. He grew a mischievous grin while Wilma stood up and stretched her back. She was a little upset to be leaving but placing twenty first in a forty player game was far from terrible. Besides, she wasn't exactly a big fan of the slave wage hours and fancy places they were visiting. To her they'd simply skipped over the raw reality of the many countries.

"Well, it's been fun," Wilma smiled while giving Raina a comforting pat on the back and standing up. She then approached the lifeboat and began loading her things into it. Once everything was inside the elimination ceremony found itself interrupted.

"WAIT!" Trevor called while rushing over the wooden floorboards and grinding to a halt right in front of Wilma.

"Aw, you came to see me off," Wilma smirked while placing a hand on the edge of the boat.

"If I win this thing our first date can be anywhere you want, anywhere in the world," Trevor proclaimed with a sad smile crossing his face.

"Let me think," Wilma mused while tapping her finger on her chin almost mockingly. "How about… the movies!"

"The movies?" Trevor asked with a blink.

"Can't destroy that stiff backed awkwardness in one go, it's too adorable for that," Wilma replied before poking Trevor right in the nose and proceeding to punch him in the arm. He gave a laugh and rubbed the hit area while Wilma hopped into the boat with a huge grin on her face. "DROP IT CHRIS!"

"You got it," Chris replied with a shrug before hitting the line and releasing Wilma. The girl gave a laughter filled cheer as she fell, and with a splash she hit the water below and began to drift away from the boat with Trevor watching. The remaining girls on The Outrageous Orca quickly got up and walked away while Louise sauntered over to Trevor with a victorious smirk on his face.

"I tried to save her," He admitted with a shrug as he leaned against the railing. "I argued that she was a way stronger asset than Raina, but Lucile was committed. I personally don't get why we kicked her off, but you have my condolences regardless."

"Lucile voted her off?" Trevor asked with a blink.

"Yep, that one's a sneaky one, let me tell you," Louise replied before patting Trevor on the shoulder and beginning to walk off. As he did a smirk grew on his face and he pocketed his hands. Whether anything came out of his comments or not was up to Trevor's actions. But he was hoping for one singular outcome, that Trevor would mention some arbitrary hatred around Liam and The Nasty Narwhal would spiral out of control, because he had to admit it. He really didn't want to have to put his next plan into action. "We're at the final twenty, if you aren't taking this game seriously yet your days are numbered. It'll get harder to survive with each elimination and unless you want to end up like your girlfriend, I suggest you start being proactive."

With that being said Louise sauntered off, leaving Trevor alone on the rear deck, suddenly short one friend and unsure if he had very many more.


End file.
